Ottawa announced Monday that over the next three years it will provide $70 million to help the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), whose financial problems have worsened since Washington cut aid in 2018.

The Canadian Foreign Ministry said that this assistance would allow "to meet the growing needs of the Palestinian refugees at risk in the agency's five areas of intervention," namely the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967, and Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

The statement indicated that this funding will enable more than half a million Palestinian girls and boys to obtain quality basic education and will help operate more than 140 clinics that provide basic health care, in addition to providing shelter and food for the poorest.

Canadian International Development Minister Karina Gould said, "The needs of Palestinian refugees are undeniable, especially at a time when a pandemic is raging: refugees face high rates of poverty, food insecurity and unemployment."

In 2016, the liberal government headed by Justin Trudeau resumed its aid to this UN agency, four years after it was stopped by the Conservative government headed by Stephen Harper, who is very close to the Israeli Occupation.

Between 2016 and 2019, Canada provided a total of 110 million Canadian dollars ($85 million) in financial assistance to UNRWA.

In addition, in April Canada made an emergency financial contribution of $1.5 million to UNRWA to help it respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.