China has donated US$3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which will be used to provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, at a time when the region is experiencing a growing humanitarian crisis.

Commenting on the donation, Antonia Marie de Meo, UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General for Operational Support, said: “I would really like to thank China for this donation. We are actually seeing an increase in support from China, which is very important for us. China is playing a leading role in calling for a ceasefire, and it is also a real leader in the humanitarian sector.”

“Gaza is facing a worsening health crisis with over 40,000 hepatitis A cases recorded since the start of the war, compared to just 85 cases before. The collapse of Gaza’s waste management system, with garbage piling up and sewage flowing into the streets, has created an ideal environment for the spread of disease,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini tweeted.

Referring to their support for UNRWA, Ambassador Zeng Jixin, Head of the Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine, said: "China has always supported UNRWA's effective performance of its duty, and called on the international community to support the work of the Agency. After the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza last year, China provided emergency cash assistance to the Agency. In line with the spirit of President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in May this year, China made a donation of US$3 million to UNRWA to support the Agency's work in providing emergency humanitarian assistance to Gaza. China will continue to implement the Global Security Initiative and work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to end the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, alleviate the disastrous humanitarian situation and implement the two-state solution."

Since making its first contribution to UNRWA in 1964, the People's Republic of China has consistently provided financial and political support to the Agency. In addition to the financial contribution, China has also pledged an emergency humanitarian in-kind contribution to Gaza through UNRWA.