lives in the most profound way," King Abdullah told Arif Naqvi, founder and CEO of Abraaj Capital, which initiated the fund as part of its Community Partnership Program.

Abraaj has allocated the entire budget of this year's programme to the creation of an endowment that will serve more than 1,200 orphaned children in Gaza through the entirety of their education, including university or vocational training. Ten million US dollars have been set aside as seed funding for the trust, which will have a lifespan of 22 years.

"You will get our full support and the full support of Jordan in this wonderful endeavour," King Abdullah said at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Abraaj Capital and the Welfare Association of Palestine (WAP), which will manage the trust. He added that he hoped that the initiative would be an example of leadership in "reaching out not only to the orphans of Gaza but to the people who are going to be facing severe challenges for years to come."

Abraaj Capital, WAP and a third representative yet to be named will constitute the fund's board of trustees. A steering committee will be responsible for implementation of the programme and quarterly reporting to Abraaj Capital will be carried out by WAP.

The King added that Jordan would continue to assist the Palestinians with every available means, including sending humanitarian and medical aid and maintaining a Jordan Armed Forces field hospital in Gaza for as long as necessary.