Tánaiste announces €13 million in humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people
- Published on: 18 October 2023
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, today announced €13 million in additional funding for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.
The funding announced today amounts to €10 million in additional core funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides essential services to 5.7 million Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, and an additional €3 million to the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs’ (UN OCHA) Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Fund. This additional €13 million will bring Ireland’s support to the people of Palestine in 2023 to €29 million.
Announcing the contribution, the Tánaiste said:
“We are witnessing tragic and shocking events in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory in the aftermath of the heinous attack by Hamas on Israel. I have said repeatedly that there should be a humanitarian ceasefire to meet the urgent basic needs of the people in Gaza .It is essential that humanitarian relief is provided to those who need it.
“This funding from Ireland will help the UN and others provide essential support to extremely vulnerable people, in particular those in Gaza who are dealing with acute and severe challenges.
“Ireland is a longstanding supporter of the critical work undertaken by UNRWA with and on behalf of Palestine refugees, and we remain firmly committed in our political and financial support to the Agency in these deteriorating circumstances. I am acutely aware of how urgently funding is needed by UNRWA following my call with Commissioner General Lazzarini on 16 October. He articulated in the clearest terms that the situation unfolding in Gaza is a humanitarian catastrophe of unprecedented magnitude.
“UNRWA plays a vital role in delivering critical services such as healthcare, education, humanitarian relief and social services. Ireland remains a committed partner of the Agency.
“Providing €3 million in assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Fund will also address the escalating humanitarian needs by enabling rapid deployment of aid, particularly in life-saving sectors that have been hit hardest by the current conflict including health, shelter, food security and protection.”
Minister for International Development and Diaspora Sean Fleming said:
“The escalating conflict in Gaza and Israel has led to severe humanitarian needs. It is vital that people in Gaza have access to humanitarian relief. Ireland is a longstanding partner of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The work the Agency carries out is vital and is a lifeline to people in the region. It is important that we deliver increased support for the Agency now as it deals with the impact of the current humanitarian crisis.”
This announcement follows the UN’s Flash Appeal for assistance and the Tánaiste’s discussion with the UNRWA Commissioner General on 16 October. The funds will support UNRWA’s core operations, enabling UNRWA to provide essential services in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), to address the most urgent needs of 1.2 million people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. OCHA’s oPT Humanitarian Fund supports the vital provision and coordination of emergency assistance to save lives and protect people most in need. The additional €10 million brings Ireland’s support to UNWRA to €18 million in 2023.
Notes
There are 5.7 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
The UN’s Flash Appeal calls for approximately $294 million to address the most urgent needs of 1.26 million people in Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The Appeal, brings together the work and funding requirements of humanitarian community oPt, including 13 UN Agencies, 29 International Non-Government Organizations, Palestinian Red Crescent Society and 35 National NGOs. The needs of UNRWA and the oPt Humanitarian Fund are included in the appeal.
UNRWA’s Programme Budget is used to provide essential services for Palestine refugees in the fields of health, education, microfinance, infrastructure and camp improvement, protection, relief and social services across its five areas of operation.
Donor contributions channelled to the oPt Humanitarian Fund will be used to deliver humanitarian assistance and protection as part of the flash appeal. As with other UN humanitarian pooled funds this is a mechanism that provides the benefit of covering all sectors (including Health, Protection, Food etc.). It also allows the distribution of donor funding using local knowledge to allocate resources to where they are most needed.
Ireland has also provided globally prepositioned funds in 2023 to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) which reacts rapidly and at scale when disasters happen. CERF has already allocated $15 million to the Gaza Strip. Ireland is the tenth largest contributor to the CERF, providing €12.5 million so far this year.