“Working with Arab Idol Mohammed Assaf, the Agency’s Regional Youth Ambassador, UNRWA hopes to highlight the struggles and needs of these vulnerable Palestine refugees,” the UN agency said in a statement.

The campaign, which will be broadcast on MBC1 and advertised on many different media, including social tools like Facebook and Twitter, aims to remind viewers of the difficult situation Palestine refugees in these areas are facing.

“In Syria, the long-running conflict has displaced thousands, while years of conflict and blockade have left the majority of Gazans dependent on international assistance. Despite the difficult political, operational and financial circumstances, UNRWA is committed to providing refugees in both these areas with the support, assistance and protection that they need,” UNRWA said.

Launching the fundraising and awareness campaign, the Agency thanked those supporters who made it possible, including Jawwal, the Bank of Palestine and Al-Wataniya Mobile.

UNRWA spokesperson Sami Mshasha added: “With the support of these valued partners, UNRWA was able to reach out to new audiences. With your support, we will be able to continue and increase our work for and with Palestine refugees in Gaza and Syria.”

Meanwhile winner of Arab Idol, Mohammed Assaf, said: “I have been familiar with UNRWA and its work all my life. I am very proud to be able now to join the Agency in extending a hand to other Palestine refugees in Syria and Gaza.”

Preliminary results of a joint UN survey carried out by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the World Food Programme (WFP), the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that 1.6 million people – or 34 per cent of households – were food insecure in 2012.

This represents a “dramatic” rise from 27 per cent in 2011, stated a joint news release from WFP and UNRWA.

Contributing factors include high unemployment rates, stagnant economic growth, the financial problems of the Palestinian Authority, the continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the six-year blockade of Gaza.

WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin and UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi today visited a Bedouin village between Jerusalem and Jericho where a food distribution carried out jointly by the two agencies was taking place.

“High food prices and low wages mean that 1.6 million Palestinians don’t know from where their next meal is coming,” said Ms. Cousin. “Yet food security is security. Food security is a vital component for sustained peace across the region.”

Ms. Cousin also welcomed a new agreement with UNRWA that will strengthen cooperation in Palestine and throughout the region and address the urgent needs of the population.

In nearby Jericho, she met shoppers using electronic vouchers from WFP to buy olive oil, salt and other groceries, most of which are produced locally in Palestine. In the past three years, WFP has injected more than $100 million into the Palestinian economy through local purchase and the redemption of electronic food vouchers. This investment supports local businesses and generates employment.

WFP reaches approximately 650,000 food-insecure, non-refugee households in Palestine. Meanwhile, UNRWA provides food assistance to more than one million food-insecure Palestine refugees across the Middle East.

During the visit to the village of Khan al Ahmar, the two officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding, in an agreement which will deepen and expand ties between their agencies.

“As well as cooperating more in the fields of food security and nutrition, we can share expertise in logistics, supply chain management and other initiatives, not just in Palestine, but regionally, particularly as we face up to the challenge of the Syria crisis,” said Mr. Grandi.

“Filippo Grandi, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), has named 23-year-old Mohammad Assaf as the first UNRWA Regional Youth Ambassador for Palestine Refugees. This follows Mohammad winning the Arab Idol crown and reflects his personal commitment to Palestinian refugees and to UNRWA,” the UN agency said in a statement.

A diplomatic source in Beirut, where MBC’s Arab Idol is filmed, told Maan news agency the agreement was signed days ago to make Assaf the first-ever Palestinian refugee to become a UN ambassador.

The performer from the Gaza Strip which has become an audience favorite for singing about the troubles of Palestinians under Israeli occupation Accepting his appointment as Youth Ambassador, said: “I’m truly honoured to become an Ambassador for Palestine refugees. All my good memories of the UNRWA school in Khan Younis in Gaza, where I had the opportunity to study and grow, are still very fresh. Being a young refugee myself, I can understand better than anybody else the challenges and the opportunities before us. I’m committed to doing my very best to help UNRWA succeed in giving other young people like me the same chance.”

Thousands of Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza celebrated in the streets late Saturday.

The first Palestinian to win Arab Idol, Assaf was born to Palestine refugee parents in Libya. He returned to the Gaza Strip with his family at age 4 and was raised largely in the refugee camp in Khan Younis. He has described himself as a “son of Palestine” and a “son of UNRWA”: his mother is an UNRWA teacher, and he himself was educated in UNRWA schools.