Beyza Binnur Donmez
15 October 2023•Update: 15 October 2023
GENEVA
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Saturday that the bloc will 'immediately' triple its humanitarian aid for vulnerable civilians in Gaza.
The commission said in a statement that the decision was taken after von der Leyen spoke Saturday with UN chief Antonio Guterres.
"The Commission will immediately increase the current humanitarian aid envelope foreseen for Gaza by 50 million euros ($52.5 million). This will bring the total to over 75 million euros," she said, according to the statement. "We will continue our close cooperation with the UN and its agencies to ensure that this aid reaches those in need in the Gaza strip.”
Noting that the Commission supports Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists "in full respect of international humanitarian law," she said: "We are working hard to ensure that innocent civilians in Gaza are provided support in this context."
The statement gave place to remarks of Janez Lenarcic, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, where he said: "This tripling of EU humanitarian assistance will help ensure that civilians in Gaza can be provided with the basic necessities required."
"It is essential that safe and unrestricted access for humanitarian aid is ensured," said Lenarcic.
The Israeli army ordered all residents of northern Gaza to evacuate Friday and head south, despite warnings that the order would lead to an international humanitarian disaster.
Israeli forces launched a sustained and forceful military campaign against the Gaza Strip one week ago in response to a military offensive by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israeli territories.
The conflict began last Saturday when Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood -- a multi-pronged surprise attack including a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel via land, sea and air.
Hamas said the operation was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem and Israeli settlers’ growing violence against Palestinians.
The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets within the Gaza Strip.
That response has extended into cutting water and electricity supplies to Gaza, further worsening the living conditions in an area that has endured a crippling siege since 2007, as well as ordering more than 1 million Gazans in the northern strip to evacuate to the southern strip within 24 hours.
