On Tuesday, 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 said, “King Abdullah awarded the First Class Independence Medal to UNRWA… in appreciation of its continued efforts in providing humanitarian aid, caring for refugees, and providing them with basic services.” The King handed the medal to the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, during his meeting with him on the sidelines of the Gaza Emergency Humanitarian Response Conference, held in Sowayma, about 50 kilometers west of Amman. The King stressed “the importance of continuing to support UNRWA, to enable it to carry out its humanitarian missions, in accordance with its UN mandate, warning of the negative consequences of obstructing UNRWA’s work in Gaza, on approximately two million Palestinian refugees.” On Tuesday, in his speech at the conference, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, called on the world to “stand together to protect UNRWA in the face of heinous and relentless attacks.” Guterres said that “UNRWA’s role will remain crucial not only during the conflict, but also after its end.”
In January, Israel accused a number of UNRWA workers of involvement in the attack launched by Hamas on the south of the Hebrew state on October 7.
These accusations prompted several countries, most notably the United States, to suspend their support for the UN agency, which undermined its ability to deliver aid to the besieged Palestinian Strip. However, some of these countries resumed funding after that.