GAZA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) launched Tuesday an emergency appeal for Gaza and the West Bank worth over 300 million U.S. dollars.

The appeal came on the third anniversary of Israel's three-week military offensive in the Gaza Strip and as the Jewish state kept economic restrictions on the Hamas-controlled coastal enclave.

"Despite an easing of access, Gaza remains under a blockade and its population subject to collective punishment, an act illegal under international law," said Margo Ellis, the agency's Deputy Commissioner General, at a news conference in Gaza.

She noted that "the effects of the war still persist today and the humanitarian needs of the women, men and children of Gaza remain widespread and acute."

Most of the appeal is allocated to Gaza and will be spent on reconstruction, food security, job creation program and cash assistance, according to the UNRWA.

A quarter of the appeal is for the West Bank, where, according to Ellis, "forced displacements, settlement expansion, and settler violence are taking a devastating toll on the communities UNRWA serves."