Dutch to provide additional aid to Gaza this year

The Netherlands will provide an additional €10 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza, outgoing Foreign Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher (VVD/Renew) announced in a letter to parliament on Tuesday, despite earlier statements indicating that no extra funds would be made available.

The Palestinian territory, under the political control of the terrorist group Hamas, is facing a humanitarian crisis as Israeli forces have ordered its residents to evacuate in preparation for a ground operation in their war with Hamas.

“The government is deeply concerned about the dire and rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza. […] The UN has expressed the urgent need for additional assistance for the [local] population […],” Schreinemacher wrote in the letter.

“In view of these rapidly growing needs, the cabinet has decided to allocate an additional €10 million to the UN aid request for Gaza,” she added.

The aid will be sent to UN agencies and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, a partner of the Red Cross. It is set to provide food, health care and shelter to civilians in the Gaza Strip, despite widespread uncertainty over how the aid will actually reach Gaza, which is currently cut off from the outside world.

The Dutch had previously sent €51 million in aid to Palestine this year despite the country’s foreign aid budget running low due to other challenges, such as the February earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Schreinemacher stated that the extra donation means that cuts will need to be implemented in other areas in the future.

By providing additional aid, the minister made a U-turn from a previous statement last week, where she ruled out sending additional funds to Palestine this year.

EU member states have been wrangling over whether to extend humanitarian aid to Palestine, with some, such as Germany and Austria, announcing that they will suspend all aid. The issue has also sparked heated debate in the Dutch parliament.

(Benedikt Stöckl | Euractiv.com)