The European Union (EU) is increasing its emergency aid to the Palestinian people following a recent terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel, resulting in a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. The EU is launching an EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operation, which will involve multiple flights to Egypt to deliver life-saving supplies to Gaza. The first two flights this week will carry humanitarian cargo, including shelter items, medicines, and hygiene kits, from UNICEF.
This operation, coordinated through the European Humanitarian Response Capacity, aims to facilitate assistance delivery to those in need in Gaza. Additional emergency items from EU stockpiles are available for deployment as required by humanitarian partners. The EU has tripled its humanitarian assistance to over €75 million to support civilians in Gaza. This funding will be directed through selected EU humanitarian partners considering capacity and access.
The EU has a history of providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need, working with registered humanitarian organizations, including UN agencies, international NGOs, and the Red Cross/Crescent family. These organisations must adhere to stringent standards, reporting requirements, and are subject to EU monitoring and inspection. EU humanitarian aid is always based on humanitarian principles such as impartiality, neutrality, independence, and humanity.
