Introduction
The EU has been providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need since 2000, supporting people affected by emergencies and shocks.
The protracted humanitarian situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip deteriorated dramatically due to the hostilities after the terrorist attack by Hamas of 7 October 2023, on Israeli soil, which left more than 1,200 Israelis dead. The EU has strongly condemned the terrorist attack by Hamas.
The full-scale Israeli military operations and blockade of Gaza have pushed the already dire humanitarian situation to catastrophic levels for the 2.1 million residents, resulting in sustained and significant loss of life combined with persistent displacement among civilians. Following the collapse of the January-March 2025 ceasefire, renewed hostilities and a complete aid blockade until 20 May 2025 have severely worsened humanitarian conditions, causing overwhelming suffering in Gaza.
The situation across the occupied West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, continues to deteriorate significantly since 7 October 2023, with intensified military operations, settler violence, demolitions and land seizures. Widespread movement restrictions imposed on 3.3 million Palestinians further impact all aspects of daily life.
As a long-standing humanitarian donor, the EU is responding to the population’s most pressing needs. This is done in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
What are the needs?
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, since 7 October 2023, at least 52,928 Palestinians have been killed and more than 119,846 have been injured. Over 15,000 recorded fatalities are children. One quarter of those injured are estimated to have sustained life-changing damage, mostly to their limbs, and will require medium to long-term rehabilitation. More than 2 million Palestinians are without protection, food, water, sanitation, shelter, healthcare, education, electricity, and fuel.
Over 1.9 million people (over 90% of the population) have been repeatedly and forcibly displaced amid intensified Israeli bombardments, including on tents, hospitals and schools, ongoing ground confrontations, and recurrent forced displacement orders.
Intense military operations continue to severely damage civilian infrastructures and restricted access to essential services. An estimated of 21% of the population has disabilities, including thousands of children who have lost one or both legs, further exacerbating vulnerabilities. Persons with disabilities face additional barriers due to the lack of structured support and assistive devices. Widespread child and family separations have resulted in at least 17,000 unaccompanied and separated children and 35,000 children losing one or both parents.
Israeli strikes on hospitals and fuel shortages have crippled an already decimated healthcare system, leaving thousands of critically ill patients, including women and newborns, without access to life-saving treatment as medical evacuations remain dangerously delayed.
The entire population faces acute food insecurity, with nearly a quarter (470,000 people) experiencing catastrophe conditions (IPC phase 5) and over half (1 million) facing emergency conditions (IPC phase 4) driven by insufficient food intake, disrupted health and nutrition services, and critical water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) gaps. Most children are enduring extreme food deprivation, compounded by poor access to healthcare, clean water and sanitation.
Protection risks remain extremely high, with widespread loss of life among frontline humanitarian workers and escalating threats to civilians, particularly children who continue to face heightened protection concerns, especially those with disabilities, including psycho-social distress, deprivation of basic services, emotional abuse and family separation. Conflict-related injuries among children are increasing, with many resulting in long-term physical and mental impairments.
WASH conditions in Gaza are collapsing, with most households lacking safe water, hygiene items, and sanitation, leading to rising cases of acute diarrhoea and increasing the risk of wider disease outbreaks.
Nearly 89% of school buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with most requiring full reconstruction or major repairs. This has disrupted education across government, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and private schools, many of which also served as shelters. In total, over 547,000 students and 20,500 teachers have been affected. The prolonged lack of access to education heightens protection risks for children including child labour, early marriage, and physical harm.
Agriculture, fishing and animal farming have collapsed entirely, while persistent challenges such as unexploded ordnance, widespread debris, and the breakdown of essential services, continue to obstruct recovery and safe movement.
The security situation for civilians and aid workers continues to be extremely fragile with humanitarian aid missions facing a complex operating environment. At least 430 aid workers have been killed since October 2023.
The humanitarian situation in the West Bank continues to significantly worsen. This is due to:
- rapid settlement expansion and legalisation heightening the risk of de facto annexation;
- Israeli military operations, including intensified airstrikes systematically targeting the northern West Bank;
- intensified search and arrest operations, resulting in the detention of at least 10,154 Palestinians held in deplorable conditions;
- persistent Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian communities with at least 1,804 settler attacks in the West Bank and over 844 people displaced in the context of these attacks since 1 January 2024;
- confrontations between Israeli forces, settlers, and Palestinians since 1 January 2024, which have resulted in the killing of more than 600 Palestinians – including 109 children;
- increasingly restricted access to education through school closures and raids, with closure orders for UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem severely impacting the education of hundreds of students.
Humanitarian needs are rising due to escalating violence, forced displacement, and severe restrictions on access to essential services such as healthcare and education, while insecurity and movement restrictions continue to hinder humanitarian access.
Since January 2025, more than 44,000 individuals have been forcibly displaced. Close to 38,700 individuals were displaced during military operations resulting in massive damage to civilian and public infrastructure, particularly in Area A and B, including refugee camps. Over 1,666 individuals have been displaced due to home demolitions by Israeli authorities in Area C and East Jerusalem and 844 individuals have been displaced due to settler violence particularly targeting vulnerable rural and herding communities.
As in any other conflict, international humanitarian law must be respected in full to protect civilians and grant unhindered and safe access for humanitarian aid.
How are we helping?
In 2024, the European Commission has significantly increased its humanitarian assistance to Palestine, allocating €237 million in humanitarian aid to vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
In 2025, the Commission initially allocated €120 million in humanitarian aid to support vulnerable Palestinians, followed by an additional €50 million, bringing the total to €170 million.
This funding supports humanitarian organisations working in both Gaza and the West Bank. Despite significant insecurity and logistical challenges, EU humanitarian partners continue to respond on the ground, doing their utmost to provide relief in Gaza and the West Bank, often at heightened personal risk. Access challenges and security concerns in Gaza have forced humanitarian partners operating on the ground to reduce their operations to a bare minimum. Their capacity to deliver is indisputable, but they require safe access.
The EU continues to deliver humanitarian aid for Palestinians by air and by sea.
Air bridge operations
The EU also launched a Humanitarian Air Bridge (EU HAB) operation to aid the people affected by the crisis.
As of May 2025, a total of 72 flights transported over 4,700 tonnes of cargo supplied by humanitarian partners, EU-owned stockpile items, and donations from Member States. This operation has been halted due to the ongoing blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza.
In this regard, so far, supplies from Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Malta, Italy and Spain have already been transported via EU HAB flights.
The aid transported included medical supplies, shelter, WASH, educational supplies, and medicines among others.
Furthermore, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated to offer support for repatriation flights from Israel and to support operations for the maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza.
Medical evacuations
The EU, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, has played a critical role in facilitating medical evacuations for Palestinian patients in need of life-saving treatment.
Since April 2024, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, Egyptian and Israeli authorities, 19 medical evacuations from Egypt and 7 from Gaza via Israel have successfully evacuated 232 patients and 504 companions to Europe.
EU Member States including Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia, Malta, and Spain alongside the EU Civil Protection Mechanism participating states of Albania, Norway and Türkiye, have provided treatment and/or transport. These missions exemplify the EU's commitment to humanitarian aid and cooperation in addressing urgent medical needs in Palestine.
Before 7 October 2023
In the Gaza Strip, the EU has been providing vulnerable families affected by sudden emergencies and shocks with cash assistance, helping them meet their basic needs. The EU’s assistance has included protection, safe education for children, and healthcare.
With the support of EU humanitarian aid, the Norwegian Refugee Council provided targeted assistance to people in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.
In the West Bank, specifically in Area C, East Jerusalem, and Hebron H2, the EU and several Member States are supporting a protection consortium of humanitarian partners. They protect communities at risk of forcible displacement because of demolitions, evictions, and settler violence.
EU humanitarian partners provide emergency assistance, legal aid, and access to essential services. The EU also helps improve the living conditions of communities that are barred from accessing or upgrading basic services. For example, by providing shelter and safe sources of water.
The EU advocates for compliance with international humanitarian law and the need to uphold human dignity. It condemns the illegal destruction of Palestinian homes, assets and aid infrastructure, and the forcible displacement of populations.
In both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, EU humanitarian funding has helped Palestinian children access schools in safe and conducive environments, despite many obstacles.
The EU also helps strengthen health services to allow essential primary healthcare and emergency medical services to continue. In addition, it improves access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for vulnerable communities.
The EU supports numerous humanitarian partners in the occupied Palestinian territories: United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and international non-governmental organisations.
Since 2000, the EU has provided more than €1.2 billion in humanitarian assistance to help meet the basic needs of the Palestinian population.
* The designation of Palestine shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.
Last updated: 21/05/2025
Facts & figures
3.3 million people need humanitarian assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2.1 million in Gaza and 1.2 million in the West Bank – UN/OCHA Flash Appeal – December 2024).
Over 715,000 school-aged childrenin Gaza have no access to formal education since October 2023 (UNOCHA Flash Appeal December 2024).
Over 1.9 million people (90% of Gaza population) are estimated to be internally displaced (source: UN OCHA).
EU humanitarian funding:
€170 million for 2025
€237 million for 2024
€102 million in 2023
More than €1.25 billion since 2000
