UNRWA receives medal from King of Jordan for supporting Palestinian refugees

On Tuesday, the Jordanian King Abdullah II awarded the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) a medal in appreciation of its role in providing humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees. A statement issued by the Royal Court expressed the King’s gratitude for UNRWA’s continued efforts in offering humanitarian aid, caring for refugees, and providing them with basic services. The King presented the First Class Independence Medal to UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, during a meeting at the Gaza Emergency Humanitarian Response Conference in Sowayma.

During the meeting, King Abdullah emphasized the importance of supporting UNRWA to enable it to fulfill its humanitarian missions and warned of the negative consequences of obstructing UNRWA’s work in Gaza, affecting approximately two million Palestinian refugees. At the same conference, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called on the world to stand together to protect UNRWA from attacks. Guterres highlighted the crucial role UNRWA plays not only during conflict but also after its resolution.

In January, Israel accused some UNRWA workers of involvement in an attack by Hamas on Israel, leading to the suspension of support from several countries, including the United States. This suspension impacted UNRWA’s ability to deliver aid to the Palestinian Strip. However, some countries later resumed their funding to support UNRWA’s mission in providing assistance to refugees.