The US says it is withholding $65m of $125m it was going to give UNRWA, which provides a lifeline for some five million Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Palestinians have denounced US President Donald Trump’s decision to hold back money needed for aid that would have helped millions of people. The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has appealed for world donations to help make up the shortfall.

The US says it is withholding $65m of $125m it was going to give UNRWA, which provides a lifeline for some five million Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The US is its biggest donor, giving nearly 30 percent of its budget. The EU, UK, Saudi Arabia and Germany are the other donors. The US had already drastically cut its contribution, down from a $350m donation last year.

Refugee camps in the Middle East, including in Syria, Lebanon and Palestinian territories, will be hurt most by the funding cut.

Al Jazeera’s Imran Khan reports from Jaluzun refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

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