News item | 20-12-2023 | 15:17
The Netherlands is allocating an additional 25 million euros for humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Minister Van Leeuwen (Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) announced this on Wednesday in Egypt during a visit to the border post at Rafah. Van Leeuwen is there together with Minister Bruins Slot (Foreign Affairs). The money will be used for food, water, medical care and fuel for electricity and heating. Of the additional support, 15 million euros is intended for assistance by the Red Cross and Red Crescent and 10 million for the UN organization UNRWA.
Minister Van Leeuwen: ‘The situation in Gaza is dire and the needs are enormous. It is very important to hear from the Egyptian authorities and relevant aid organizations what the bottlenecks are. My three priorities are full humanitarian access, substantially more aid including much-needed fuel for the people of Gaza, and the safety of aid workers in Gaza. All the government’s efforts are aimed at this.’
The ministers spoke with representatives of the Egyptian Red Crescent at the Rafah border post. The vast majority of international emergency aid is now collected at Rafah. Partly thanks to continued Dutch diplomatic efforts, humanitarian aid is now also allowed through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. According to the UN, Kerem Shalom is the only border crossing that is equipped to allow trucks to pass quickly, partly thanks to the scanners that the Netherlands donated years ago.
The government previously pledged an additional 25 million euros for humanitarian aid to Gaza. The additional contribution of 50 million euros in total is in addition to the 51 million euros that the Netherlands has allocated for development cooperation and humanitarian aid to the Palestinians this year.
After his visit to Egypt, Minister Van Leeuwen will travel on to visit Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is also high on the agenda there.