$85m in humanitarian aid to Palestinian refugees from U.S 

(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM)) The United States announced it is contributing 85 million dollars over the next year of 2009 to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), including a portion of 25 million to help Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank "receive urgently needed food, medicines, and other critical humanitarian assistance.

" The 25 million of the most recent U.S contribution will go to UNRWA's Emergency Appeal for the West Bank and Gaza while the remaining 60 million will go to UNRWA's General Fund", said the Department of State in a statement.

"The United States announces its plan to contribute 85 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for its 2009 appeals", it said.

"Basic and vocational education, primary health care, and relief and social services to more than 4.6 million registered Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria," it said.

Palestinian refugees comprise 70 percent of the population in Gaza and 30 percent in the West Bank.

Since Saturday, around 380 people were killed and more than 1700 injured by the continued Israeli airstrikes which began on Saturday.