The European Union has announced that it will continue to provide financial aid to the Palestinians, but it will prosecute stricter conditions in the wake of the war in Gaza. The EU has not found evidence that money sent to the Palestinians has been used by radical Islamic Hamas, despite reports that the radical group was behind an attack that left 1,200 dead and around 240 kidnapped.
However, the EU has announced that it will be checking more closely in the future to ensure that the aid recipients are not inciting hatred, violence, or anti-Semitism.
According to the EU’s audit report, funds totaling 331 million euros have been allocated for the current year, with millions of euros marked for the Gaza Strip. However, Brussels is suspecting that some of the recipients have been involved in hate speech and the “glorification of terror.”
In response to a terrorist attack by Hamas, Brussels has announced that 75 million euros in aid for the Gaza Strip has been classified as “unfeasible” and will be reallocated. Brussels also demands “further information” from local partners about a further 39 million euros.
The EU sees itself as the largest supporter of the Palestinians worldwide, allocating almost 1.2 billion euros in aid from 2021 to 2024, with around a third going to the Gaza Strip and two-thirds to the West Bank.
Humanitarian aid, however, remains unaffected by the review. The EU had recently increased funds to provide for the population in the Gaza Strip, and Germany had put 90 million euros in aid for the Gaza Strip and Jordan. The review for other areas should “soon be completed.”