Iceland donates humanitarian relief funds to Palestinians

Rekjavik, July 23:

's Foreign Minister Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson announced here on Tuesday that his country will donate $104,000 to the Palestinians suffering from the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The funds will go to two UN programmes operating in Gaza. Half of the funds will go to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) while the other half will go to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Xinhua quoted the Icelandic foreign ministry as saying in a statement.

Over 100,000 people have been displaced in Gaza as a result of the conflict with Israel. Donations will be used to ensure basic assistance such as food, water, shelter, sanitation, psychological support for children and healthcare, the statement said.

More than 600 Palestinians and around 30 Israelis have been killed in the past 14 days of fighting while 43 percent of Gaza has been affected by evacuation warnings or declared no-go zones.

IANS