A senior agency official has said the United Nations on Wednesday will launch a $2.8 billion appeal for donations this year to help the conflict-ravaged population of the Gaza Strip as well as West Bank Palestinians, AFP reports.

“Of course, 90 per cent of it is for Gaza,” Andrea De Domenico, head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the Palestinian territories, said, noting that the original plan had been $4bn for 2024 but budgeting was slashed given the “limited ability” of humanitarian aid distribution access.

Opinion

Editorial

New regional order
Updated 11 May, 2026

New regional order

The fact is that the US has only one true security commitment in the Middle East — Israel.
A better start
11 May, 2026

A better start

THE first 1,000 days of a child’s life often shape decades to come. In Pakistan, where chronic malnutrition has...
Widening gap
11 May, 2026

Widening gap

PAKISTAN’S monthly trade deficit ballooned to $4.07bn last month, its highest level since June 2022, further...
Momentary relief
Updated 10 May, 2026

Momentary relief

THE IMF’s approval of the latest review of Pakistan’s ongoing Fund programme comes at a moment of growing global...
India’s global shame
10 May, 2026

India’s global shame

INDIA’s rabid streak is at an all-time high. Prejudice is now an organised movement to erase religious freedoms ...
Aurat March restrictions
Updated 10 May, 2026

Aurat March restrictions

The message could not have been clearer: women may gather, but only if they remain politically harmless.