How much money does Italy send to Palestine?

Following the news that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the Hamas attack on the Gaza Strip on October 7, many Western countries announced that they were suspending funds provided to the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). As Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani recalled, Italy had already done this after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Historically, Italy has been among the largest donors in Palestine, with its funds financing projects vital to the population living in a region that has been in constant conflict for decades.

Italy’s funding for Palestine: how much

Italy has maintained a presence in Palestine since 1985; government funding and non-governmental organizations operate directly on the ground, particularly in the Gaza Strip. According to the most recent data from the Italian Development Cooperation Agency, Italy has invested approximately 450 million euros in development cooperation and humanitarian aid programs for the Palestinian people in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza over the last 38 years. A resource of 27.8 million euros was committed to finance 39 projects in 2023.

Over 22 million euros have been allocated in 2022. Italy acts together with other European countries and is the leading donor country for two sectors: health, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Overall, assistance from the international community is vital for the Palestinian territories: NGOs claim that 8 out of 10 people are in need of development programs and donations. In addition to government institutions, non-governmental organizations also work in this field. Overall, the European Union is the main provider of foreign aid to the Palestinians through the Common European Strategy 2021-2024, with an indicative amount of around €1.2 billion, 691 million of which has already been agreed.

What does Italy finance in Palestine?

In a region that has experienced decades of emergency, humanitarian aid is adapting to conflict trends. For example, tens of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged following Israel’s 51-day military offensive on the Gaza Strip in 2014; this resulted in the displacement of 100,000 people between July and August. At that time, the Italian Cooperation Agency participated in the renovation of 280 houses and the reconstruction of the entire Al Nada public housing area.

Other projects have also been activated recently, most of them related to emergencies, education and health-related issues. The most important interventions in 2023 relate to the “integrated strengthening of the Palestinian healthcare system” (4 million euros), human rights and gender equality, and strengthening the Palestine Post-Emergency program (Pop). Everything has stopped since October 7th.

Source: Today IT

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