Gaza schools, clinics will be shut

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees has warned that it would close schools and clinics in the Gaza Strip due to lack of funds.

UNRWA spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna said on Monday that the agency was suffering from an 84-million-dollar budget deficit.

“This will force UNRWA to take steps towards closing institutions, schools and clinics in the Gaza Strip beginning in September,” he said.

Abu Hasna partly blamed some Arab countries for having provided only 1.5 percent of UNRWA’s budget despite having pledged to give 7.5 percent.

UNRWA provides essential food aid, education and health services to about 4.7 million Palestinian refugees, including one million Gazans.

The besieged population of the coastal enclave has been under blockade by the Israeli regime since 2007. They are in dire need of the basic necessities of life.