EU Announces Additional 50 Mln Euros In Emergency Humanitarian Aid To Palestine

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, Sept 24 (KUNA) -- The European Commission announced on Wednesday the allocation of an additional 50 million euros (58.7 million dollars) in emergency humanitarian assistance in response to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and to address the growing humanitarian needs in the West Bank.
The Commission said in a statement that this new support brings the total EU emergency humanitarian aid in 2025 to 220 million euros (258 million dollars) for Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, while total aid since 2023 has exceeded 550 million euros (645 million dollars).
The statement noted that the "first ever famine" has been confirmed in Gaza, pointing out that "the ongoing military offensive on Gaza City and the massive forced displacement it has caused have left thousands of families in desperate need of food, shelter, healthcare, and protection."
It explained that the humanitarian situation in the West Bank is also experiencing a sharp deterioration due to continued forced displacement, severe movement restrictions, and settler violence, creating urgent needs in protection, shelter, and access to basic services.
The statement stressed that the additional funding will help EU humanitarian partners working on the ground to deliver life-saving assistance in both Gaza and the West Bank, emphasizing that "safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian workers is vital across Gaza, and that civilians must be protected wherever they are."
It added that since October 2023, the EU has organized around 77 humanitarian air bridge flights and delivered 5,037 tonnes of relief supplies, including medicines, medical items, shelter, water and sanitation, and educational materials, on behalf of humanitarian partners, EU Member States, and the EU's own stockpiles. Since 2024, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has also coordinated medical evacuations for more than 300 patients across Europe.
The statement said that over 1.9 million people in Gaza, representing more than 90 percent of the population, have been repeatedly forcibly displaced amid intense Israeli bombardments, including from tents, hospitals, and schools, in addition to ongoing ground confrontations and recurrent evacuation orders.
It added that as of August 22, 2025, famine (IPC Phase 5) has been confirmed in Gaza, where more than half a million people are facing catastrophic conditions, while 1.07 million people, or 54 percent of the population, are living in an emergency or crisis situation.
As for the West Bank, the statement affirmed that "the humanitarian situation continues to significantly deteriorate due to the rapid expansion and legalisation of settlements, raising the risk of de facto annexation, along with Israeli military operations and ongoing settler attacks, which have reached at least 2,300 incidents since the beginning of 2024, displacing around 40,000 people." (end)
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