Palestine*

Introduction

The EU has been providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need since 2000, supporting people affected by emergencies and shocks.

Gaza strip

The EU welcomed the agreement of 9 October 2025 and called on all parties to fully implement it without delay, allowing for the establishment of a lasting ceasefire, the release of the hostages, and the unimpeded access and sustained distribution of humanitarian assistance at scale into and throughout Gaza. The EU is ready to support the implementation of the agreement through all the tools at its disposal, and continue to work closely with the UN agencies and international NGOs, and in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The protracted humanitarian situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had 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 strongly condemned this terrorist attack. After 2 years of relentless bombings, Gaza has been left in ruins. Humanitarian conditions are catastrophic for the 2.1 million residents - entire communities face hunger, trauma, displacement and the collapse of essential services. 

West Bank

The humanitarian situation in the West Bank continues to worsen significantly. This is due to: 

• rapid settlement expansion, along with legal and political developments 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 20,000 Palestinians held in deplorable conditions
• persistent Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian communities with at least 2,660 settler attacks in the West Bank
• confrontations between Israeli forces, settlers, and Palestinians that have resulted in the killing of over 690 Palestinians (including 131 children) and 38 Israelis (including 4 children) since 1 January 2024
• school closures and raids, which are increasingly restricting access to education
• closure orders for UNRWA schools, in East Jerusalem, are severely impacting the education of 100s of students
• demolitions
• land seizures

Widespread movement restrictions have been imposed on 3.3 million Palestinians, further impacting all aspects of daily life. 

The 2025 olive harvest season has so far witnessed the highest level of damage and number of affected communities due to settler attacks since 2020, with as of 31 October 2025, 126 attacks recorded in 70 towns and villages and over 4,000 olive trees and saplings vandalised.

Facts and figures

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.

Here are the latest facts and figures (October 2025):

Since 2000, the EU has provided more than €1.25 billion in humanitarian assistance to help meet the basic needs of the Palestinian population.

What is the humanitarian situation?

According to data highlighted by the UN, since 7 October 2023, over 68,000 Palestinians have been killed (including over 20,000 children) and more than 170,000 have been injured in Gaza. One quarter of those injured in Gaza are estimated to have sustained life-changing damage, mostly to their limbs, and will require medium to long-term rehabilitation. In the West Bank, over 1,050 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 10,300, injured.

 More than 2 million Palestinians are without basic items.

People are repeatedly forcibly displaced

Within Gaza, over 1.9 million people (over 90% of the population) have been repeatedly forcibly displaced amid intensified Israeli bombardments, (including in tents, hospitals and schools), ongoing ground confrontations, and recurrent forced displacement orders.

2 years of intense military operations have severely damaged civilian infrastructures and restricted access to essential services. An estimated 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 at least 35,000 children losing one or both parents. 

Israeli strikes on hospitals and fuel shortages have crippled an already decimated healthcare system, leaving 1,000s of critically ill patients, including women and newborns, without access to life-saving treatment as medical evacuations remain dangerously delayed. 

Famine confirmed in Gaza

As of 22 August 2025, Famine (IPC Phase 5) has been confirmed in Gaza Governorate and projected to expand to Deir al- Balah and Khan Younis Governorates in late September. After months of relentless conflict, over half a million people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions, characterised by starvation, destitution and death. Another 1.07 million people, 54 % of the population, are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4), and 396,000 people (20 %) are in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).

The next IPC analysis is tentatively planned for November, with the aim of capturing the latest developments in the Gaza Strip more comprehensively.

Most children are enduring extreme food deprivation, compounded by:

• poor access to healthcare
• clean water
• sanitation

Acute malnutrition among children under 5 is projected to continue worsening rapidly. Conflict-related injuries among children are increasing, with many resulting in long-term physical and mental impairments.

Education disrupted

As of 10 July 2025, 97% of of school buildings in the Gaza Strip had sustained some level of damage, the majority (92%) requiring clearance of explosive contamination and either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation to be functional again. This has disrupted education across government, UNRWA, and private schools, many of which also served as shelters, affecting over 547,000 students and 20,500 teachers. 

Over 637,000 school-aged children in Gaza have no access to formal education since October 2023. The prolonged lack of access to education heightens protection risks for children including: 

• child labour
• early marriage
• physical harm

Other challenges 

Protection risks remain extremely high, with widespread loss of life among frontline humanitarian workers and escalating threats to civilians. Children in particular continue to face heightened protection concerns, especially those: 

• with disabilities
• with psychosocial distress
• deprived of basic services
• who have experienced emotional abuse
• who have been separated from their families

Most households lack water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) items. This is leading to rising cases of acute diarrhoea and a higher risk of wider disease outbreaks. 

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 575 aid workers have been killed since October 2023.

How are we helping?

Here is an overview of how the EU is helping vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

EU 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 ceasefire presents a precious opportunity to make sure aid can reach those in need if our partners can have access. 

The EU continues to deliver humanitarian aid for Palestinians by air, land and sea.

The UCPM was activated on 24 April 2024 upon the request of the World Health Organization (WHO) to medically evacuate Palestinian patients from Gaza to Europe. Since July 2024, patients and companions have been evacuated by 12 Member States (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia) and 3 Participating States (Albania, Norway, Türkiye), in collaboration with the WHO.

The role of humanitarian partners

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
• safe sources of water

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 health care 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. 

_{* 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: 07/11/2025}