The Japanese government has contributed 28.4 million dollars to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Neart East (UNRWA), to support the agency's assistance initiatives and projects, reports said on Friday.

UNRWA Commissioner-General, Pierre Krähenbühl, and the Japanese Ambassador for Palestinian Affairs and Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority, Takeshi Okubo signed the contribution agreement on February 23 in East Jerusalem, the UNRWA said.

Krähenbühl thanked the people and government of Japan for their contribution and solidarity, while he highlighted that Japan's partnership is significant for Palestinians.

The partnership with Japan remains critical, not only in addressing the most critical challenges facing Palestine refugees today, but also in preserving opportunities and hope, particularly for the youth."

According to a written statement by the UNRWA, 17.7 million dollars of the total amount will be spent on fundamental services such as education for 500,000 Palestinian refugee children, social services, and health care for over 3.5 patients.

The statement noted that 5.2 million dollars will be spent on the UNRWA's emergency operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the West Bank and Gaza, "while 3.5 million dollars will go towards UNRWA emergency interventions in response to the ongoing crisis in Syria."

The remaining 2 million dollars is expected to fund UNRWA projects in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon, the statement added.

UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 and aims to provide assistance to around five million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza and the West Bank.