Kuwait City: The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has signed two grant agreements with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to allocate a total of $3.5 million in aid to Gaza and Lebanon. The agreements include $1.5 million for Gaza's water infrastructure and $2 million to improve education facilities in Lebanon.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Kuwait Fund announced that the project in Gaza aims to address critical water and sanitation issues. The initiative seeks to restore essential systems, provide safe drinking water, and improve public health conditions. These efforts come as Gaza faces worsening humanitarian conditions, exacerbated by the shutdown of its major desalination plants due to ongoing border closures by Israel, which have restricted fuel and essential supplies.

The Lebanon initiative will focus on enhancing educational infrastructure by rehabilitating three public schools. This project aims to create better learning environments for both local and refugee children in accordance with the standards set by Lebanon's Education Ministry.

Lebanon currently maintains a fragile ceasefire following months of conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah group. Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was expected to withdraw from southern Lebanon by January 26, but the deadline has been extended to February 18. Israel still holds a military presence at five border outposts, which complicates the situation.

The latest grants mark the tenth collaboration between the Kuwait Fund and UNICEF. Since 2017, the Kuwait Fund has contributed approximately $24 million to nine projects in partnership with the UN agency. The Kuwait Fund is known for providing concessional loans and development aid to support infrastructure projects in developing countries, leveraging its independent resources.