Tánaiste announces significant humanitarian funding for Gaza

Tánaiste Simon Harris has today announced that Ireland will provide an additional €6 million in humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as UN and humanitarian agencies prepare to ramp up aid supplies following the ceasefire.

The €6 million announced today will be allocated to Ireland’s UN partners: €2 million to UNICEF, €2 million to OCHA, €1 million to the World Food Programme, and €1 million to the World Health Organisation.

Today’s contribution brings Ireland’s support for the people of Palestine since October 2023 to more than €89 million, and support in 2025 to over €35 million. There are likely to be further announcements in the coming period in relation to Ireland’s aid commitments in the region.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade said: “The blockade on humanitarian aid has resulted in famine and untold horror for people in Gaza. The ceasefire agreement and hostage release offers a ray of hope.

“Our partners are ready to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to people who urgently need it. This contribution of €6 million from Ireland will fund urgent food, medical care and other vital aid. It will bring much-needed relief to people, including children, some of whom have never known anything but this horrific war.

“It is impossible to imagine the level of suffering people in Gaza have experienced for the last two years. Israel must do what it can to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, and the international community must rally behind efforts to save and rebuild lives that have been shattered by this war.”

Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD, said: “Ireland has been resolute in its commitment to calling for an end to the war, a release of the hostages and a massive surge of humanitarian aid for people in Gaza. After two years of horrific suffering, there is now a moment of hope that must be grasped.

“Our partners in Gaza are ready to deliver life-saving humanitarian aid to people in Gaza. It is vital that they are supported, logistically and financially, to get that aid in as quickly as possible. Today’s funding announcement will support those efforts and will deliver vital and urgent aid to people in Gaza.”