Spain sends another 20 million euros in aid to Palestinians

(Patria) - The Spanish government announced that it will send an additional 20 million euros in aid to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) to help the body cope with the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

This was announced by Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares at a joint press conference in Madrid with UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini.

Lazzarini expressed hope that the Spanish government's decision would encourage some of the countries that recently suspended aid to the UN agency to resume it.

According to him, 16 countries have suspended aid to UNRWA, amounting to 450 million dollars.

Lazzarini called for the opening of land crossings to the Gaza Strip so that humanitarian aid could arrive that way, as air drop operations have limited effectiveness.

The Spanish minister said that the aid to UNRWA will arrive in four to six weeks and added that last week it was decided to also provide 3.5 million euros in assistance.

Albares welcomed last week's decision by the EU to approve 50 million euros in aid for UNRWA.