The UN agency assisting Palestinian refugees launched Thursday an emergency appeal for 300 million dollars to provide aid to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, according to dpa. The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said 78 million dollars of the total appeal will be to purchase food for 750,000 Palestinians in Gaza, which has been under Israeli blockade for six years. The appeal will also fund temporary job creation, mental health programmes and water and sanitation initiatives in Gaza and the West Bank. -- SPA