BRUSSELS – The European Union on March 18 pledged to spend an initial €7.7 billion (S$11.2 billion) on humanitarian aid in 2024, less than in 2023, despite soaring needs in Gaza and elsewhere.
“I think this is a solid amount... but it could be better,” European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic told the opening of a humanitarian conference in Brussels.
In 2023, the bloc pledged €8.4 billion in total. No reason was given for the decrease.
The United Nations says a record 300 million people are in need of humanitarian help, mostly due to conflicts and climate change. It estimates the worldwide funding gap at nearly US$50 billion (S$66.9 billion).
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the situation in Gaza was especially dire.
“We are no longer on the brink of famine, we are in a state of famine,” he said.
The enclave has been largely sealed off during the five-month war between Israel and Hamas militants.
Ms Catherine Russell, executive director of the UN children’s agency Unicef, said every third Gazan child was severely malnourished, with more resources needed for aid as well as political pressure to safeguard operations on the ground.
The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Ms Mirjana Spoljaric, said in reaction to the funding pledge that some donors were struggling with economic restraints at a time of rising conflicts.
Red Cross employees had repeatedly come under fire in Gaza, she added, calling the situation “beyond despair”.
With regard to a new land route into northern Gaza, used for the time since the end of February last week, Ms Spoljaric said mobility was still very restricted and that reaching people there remained very difficult.
“We need to be able to bring in a lot more food, water medicine... to prevent starvation and to prevent death because of medical consequences”, she said.
The two-day conference is expected to focus on how to get more aid into Gaza. The enclave has been effectively sealed off since Israel began its war with Hamas in response to the militant group’s Oct 7 attack on Israel.
The issue of getting more aid into the enclave – be it via land, sea or air – will also be discussed by EU foreign ministers in Brussels on March 18.
Israel denies obstructing aid into Gaza. It has blamed failures by aid agencies for delays and has accused Hamas of diverting aid.
Hamas denies this and says Israel uses hunger as a weapon in its military offensive. REUTERS
