Amman, Jordan - April 18, 2024

Storyline:
Palestinian refugees in Jordan are scratching a living as international aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been dwindling for months.

In January, Israel accused several employees with UNRWA of being involved in a large-scale attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7 last year. As a result, some countries suspended their financial support to the agency, leading to the challenging circumstances faced by Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

According to data from UNRWA, there are approximately 2.2 million registered Palestinian refugees in the country.

Youssef, residing in the Jabal el-Hussein camp in the capital city of Amman, suffers from an illness that has rendered him unable to work. His family relies solely on assistance from UNRWA and other humanitarian organizations to make ends meet. He expressed concerns that the aid he receives has been decreasing in recent times.

Youssef's situation is not an isolated case. The management of the refugee camp said that while there are over 30,000 people in the camp, the majority of the population no longer receives the much-needed physical and cash assistance, except for 5 percent of the population who are in extremely difficult conditions.

The United Nations Security Council held a high-level meeting specifically to discuss the current situation of UNRWA on Wednesday. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, said that the suspension of significant funding severely hampers the agency's ability to provide essential public services. He urged the Security Council to uphold the crucial role of UNRWA. Representatives from various countries also emphasized the irreplaceable role of the agency and called for a resumption of donations from the relevant nations.

Shotlist:
Amman, Jordan - April 18, 2024:
1. Various of Youssef, Palestinian refugee in Jordan, washing hands, placing kettle;
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Youssef, Palestinian refugee in Jordan (full name not given):
"In the past, besides cash assistance, we would also receive some goods. But now, the situation has changed. The assistance is only in the form of meager cash.";
3. Various of buildings of refugee camp;
4. Fathi Khalil Ghayada, chairman of Jabal el-Hussein Camp Services Committee, at work;
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fathi Khalil Ghayada, chairman, Jabal el-Hussein Camp Services Committee (starting with shot 4):
"The clinic is no longer able to provide medicine. We need more staff, more doctors, more schools, and more qualified teachers."
FILE: Gaza Strip - Jan 29, 2024:
6. Various of United Nations aid convoy, U.N. logo on vehicle;
FILE: Rafah border crossing, Egypt - Dec 1, 2023:
7. Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid at Rafah border crossing;
8. Aid supplies;
FILE: Khan Younis, Gaza Strip - Nov 22, 2023:
9. Various of workers unloading flour sacks from truck.

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