The European Commission announced on Friday that it will disburse 50 million euros to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) next week.
The Commission’s statement noted that the second and third tranches of 16 million euros each will be released later.
“In addition to supporting UNRWA, the Commission remains fully committed to addressing the humanitarian plight of the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, but also more broadly in the region,” the statement said, adding that an additional 68 million euros will be allocated for this purpose in 2024.
It was explained that with the additional contribution, the total funds will amount to 150 million euros.
“Moreover, the Commission has allocated 125 million euros in humanitarian aid to Palestinians for 2024. Today, the Commission is contracting the first 16 million euros,” the statement added.
Several countries suspended their funding to UNRWA in January following Israeli allegations that 12 out of thousands of agency employees participated in Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th. The agency is investigating the allegations but has warned that a halt in funding could lead to a catastrophe.
