In its ongoing commitment to providing support to the people in Gaza, the European Commission is allocating an additional €25 million in humanitarian aid. This quadruples the EU’s humanitarian assistance for Gaza for this year, totaling over €100 million.
This newly allocated aid will be channeled to humanitarian organizations to deliver life-saving support, with a particular focus on areas such as water and sanitation, healthcare, food, and other essential necessities.
Announcing this funding, President von der Leyen stated, “I am pleased to announce that we are increasing humanitarian aid to Gaza by another €25 million today. This means that the European Union’s total humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza will reach €100 million. Simultaneously, we are collaborating with Israel, Egypt, and the United Nations to facilitate the entry of more aid convoys into Gaza, including through humanitarian corridors and pauses for addressing urgent humanitarian requirements.”
Background:
- The EU has been providing humanitarian aid to Palestine since 2000.
- The European Council’s conclusions, adopted on October 26, called for continued, swift, secure, and unimpeded humanitarian access and aid to reach those in need through various measures, including humanitarian corridors and pauses for addressing humanitarian needs.
- The EU initiated a Humanitarian Air Bridge operation to aid those affected by the crisis, expediting the transportation of humanitarian supplies provided by partners like UNICEF and international organizations.
- Since October 16, six flights carrying more than 263 tons of aid have reached Egypt. These operations aim to pre-position aid for swift delivery to those in need in Gaza.
- Additionally, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated to assist in repatriation flights from Israel.
Source: Gaza