BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A shipment of flour from Turkey arrived in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, a statement from the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said.

The first shipment from Turkey will feed more than 129,000 families supporting 687,000 dependents. Around 12,500 metric tonnes of wheat flour worth $6.6 million will arrive in Gaza over the next eight weeks.

"The need for this aid is clear with food insecurity currently threatening 60 percent of Gazans," said Filippo Grandi, commissioner-general of the Palestine refugee agency UNRWA.

"Turkey’s support for UNRWA is a reflection of our support for Palestine refugees, especially those living in the impoverished Gaza Strip," said Sakir Ozkan Torunlar, consul general of Turkey in Jerusalem.

"We are committed to aiding the international effort to help them achieve a decent standard of living despite the difficult circumstances under which they live."

Since Israel tightened the blockade on Gaza in 2007 unemployment has skyrocketed as imports and job opportunities decreased, UNRWA said.

Around 34 percent of Gazans are unemployed and 70 percent of refugees are reliant on UNRWA aid, the agency added.