The European Commission today unveils a package worth more than 120 million Euro to meet the basic needs of the Palestinian population and to help stabilise the finances of the current caretaker government. E40 million will be earmarked to ensure the continued and uninterrupted supply of essential public services such as electricity and water. 64 million Euro will be allocated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. This emergency relief will help alleviate the hardships of the most vulnerable people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Read more about Brussels unveils 120 million aid package for Palestinians 

The humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories must not be overshadowed by the latest political developments and requires renewed assistance by the donors’ community, warned Cees Wittebrood, Head of the Middle East and Mediterranean countries of the European Commission’s humanitarian aid department. The European Commission is one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population, with €155 million of assistance provided since the start of the second Intifada in 2000. Read more about ECHO: "Humanitarian needs in the West Bank and Gaza must not be forgotten" 

The European Commission has allocated a further €7 million in humanitarian aid for people made vulnerable by the Middle East crisis. The aid will provide access to food, clean water and sanitation for the poorest Palestinians living on the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip. There is also a major funding component to help rehabilitate the shelters of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The aid will be channelled through ECHO, the Commission’s humanitarian aid department. It brings the Commission’s humanitarian assistance to victims of the Middle East crisis to €37 million for 2004. Read more about European Commission provides €7 million in humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable Palestinians 

The European Commission has allocated €1.35 million for victims of house demolitions in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. More than 10,000 people whose houses were destroyed or damaged during the Israeli army incursions last May and June will be provided with temporary accommodation pending permanent re-housing. They will also receive cash assistance to replace household goods and belongings that were lost in the rubble. Part of the funds will be used to repair shelters housing some 2,000 people as well as key public infrastructure that was damaged during the incursions in Rafah. Water supply networks, sewage systems, and two schools will be rehabilitated. Read more about ECHO provides a further EURO 1.35 million in aid for victims of house demolitions in Rafah 

The European Commission has adopted an emergency decision for €1 million for victims of house demolitions in the Gaza Strip. 13,000 people who have lost their homes in recent months will be provided with emergency shelter and relief items, and with means for securing alternative accommodation. The funds, channelled through the Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), are directed to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), one of the main organisations providing assistance to victims of the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian Territories. Read more about European Commission provides EUR 1 million for victims of house demolitions