EMERGENCY RELIEF

In emergencies, relief assistance is extended to affected refugee and non-refugee communities as a temporary measure. Since 1950, UNRWA has responded to many emergencies affecting the Palestine refugee population: the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict; the civil war in Lebanon; the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon; the 'camps war' in Lebanon in the mid-1980s; and the Intifadah in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, beginning in 1987. Since the beginning of the strife in September 2000 UNRWA has been working to alleviate the impact of violence, curfews and closures on the refugee population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. As part of its emergency relief activities UNRWA provides temporary jobs for unemployed breadwinners. The Agency has also greatly increased its provision of food aid and has also had to assist the more than 5,000 refugees whose homes have been damaged or destroyed during military operations.