EU’s initial humanitarian aid to Palestine to total 125 million euros in 2024

The European Commission (EC) announced on Friday the allocation of initial humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population to the tune of 125 million euros in 2024 due to the worsening humanitarian situation, Interfax reports.

“This new funding will support humanitarian organizations working in both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” the EC said in a communiqué issued in Brussels.

The document said that in the Gaza Strip, “where humanitarian needs are at an all-time high,” the priority will be to respond to emergencies to save lives and restore access to basic needs such as water, food, healthcare, shelter and sanitation. Priority support will be aimed at protecting the most vulnerable groups.

In the West Bank, "where many Palestinian communities are at risk of displacement or have already been forcibly displaced," EU-funded humanitarian projects will provide protection services such as legal aid or material support to people affected by settler violence, confiscation of private property, or loss of livelihood. Access to basic services will also be supported.

“EU-funded humanitarian assistance is provided in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. It is delivered through UN humanitarian agencies, non-governmental organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as through many local humanitarian organizations cooperating with them,” Brussels emphasizes.

The European Commission notes that the full-scale military operation that followed the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, as well as the complete blockade of the Gaza Strip imposed by the Israeli government, “brought the already dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip to a catastrophic level for 2.2 million Palestinians”.