The European Union has decided to impose stricter conditions on financial aid to the Palestinians following the Gaza war, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 and abduction of around 240 people. An audit report showed no evidence that EU money had been used directly or indirectly by radical Islamic Hamas, said Vice Commission President Valdis Dombrovskis. However, Brussels wants to ensure that recipients of the funds do not incite hatred, violence, or anti-Semitism in the future.
In response to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, the EU Commission submitted a report detailing aid worth 331 million euros for the current year. No European funds went to Hamas, but there is concern that some recipients may have been involved in hate speech and “glorification of terror.” Brussels has demanded “further information” from local partners about an additional 39 million euros.
The EU sees itself as the largest supporter of the Palestinians worldwide and has allocated almost 1.2 billion euros for aid from 2021 to 2024. However, aid worth 75 million euros for the Gaza Strip has been classified as “unfeasible” and will be reallocated. Germany and other member states have also put their national aid to the test after the Hamas attack on Israel. The federal government recently released a good 90 million euros for the Gaza Strip and Jordan. The review for other areas should “soon be completed,” as State Secretary in the Federal Development Ministry, Jochen Flasbarth, said on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Brussels.