The assistance is part of the Emergency Refugee and Migration Fund, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said. The announcement of the relief assistance, which would address the critical post-conflict humanitarian needs in Gaza, came yesterday as the US' Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, continued to tour the region.

With this, the total humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees has increased to USD 120 million this year, including USD 60 million in Gaza.

Later, the State Department said of the USD 20.3 million, USD 13.5 million will go to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, USD 6 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross, and USD 800,000 to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

These organisations are distributing emergency food assistance, providing medical aid and temporary shelter, creating temporary employment, and restoring access to electricity and potable water to the people of Gaza.

In addition to the latest announcement, the US so far has provided more than USD 3.7 million for emergency assistance to Gaza.