The European Union announced Friday it is stepping up funding for Palestinians in response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in the besieged Gaza strip.
“We are witnessing a true humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. The critical condition of Palestinians in extreme peril is getting disastrous beyond words,” said European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič.
“The dramatic death toll and injuries among civilians, of which mostly women and children, the destruction of vital infrastructures and the impending famine in Gaza must be a wakeup call for the entire international community,” he said. “Palestinians cannot wait any longer for meaningful aid to arrive.”
The additional €68 million support — which brings total EU humanitarian assistance to €193 million for Palestinians in need inside Gaza and across the region in 2024 — is intended to scale up the desperately needed food assistance, nutritional, health, water and sanitation and shelter support, according to the Commission’s statement.
The aid will be channelled through partner organizations already operational on the ground in Gaza and the region.
The Commission’s move follows the decision by some European countries including Germany to resume cooperation with the U.N. relief and works agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), after they temporarily cut their funding for the organization following allegations that its employees were involved in the Oct. 7 terror attack.
Since Israel launched its military operation in the besieged enclave, more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities, and the territory is left the territory on the brink of famine.
More than 3 million people across Gaza and the West Bank need humanitarian assistance according to the International Rescue Committee, a U.S.-based humanitarian organization.
“Some 1.7 million Palestinians, nearly 75% of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced — with many having been displaced multiple times,” the report stated. “They are forced to shelter in schools, hospitals and U.N. facilities without basic supplies or sanitation.”
