GAZA — China donated $1 million in support of food assistance program in Gaza, according to an agreement with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Sept 11.

The agreement was signed by Guo Wei, director of the Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine, and UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, said an official UNRWA statement.

"UNRWA provides a critical humanitarian lifeline to more than one million Palestine refugees in Gaza, who depend on food aid to meet their most basic food security needs," the statement said.

It said that China's contributions in the last two years were also allocated to mitigate the effects of food insecurity among the Palestinian refugee families in Gaza, most of whom now face the unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic.

Guo said that China attaches great importance to its cooperation with the agency, adding that "China will, as always, support the work of UNRWA and continue to provide assistance to the Palestine refugees and their economic and social development."

Lazzarini expressed his sincere appreciation to China for its support to the agency.

"China's generous contribution will help UNRWA provide life-saving food assistance to over one million Palestine refugees in Gaza. I hope that this cooperation will continue to grow," he said.