EU announces €458 million in humanitarian aid for the Middle East

Europe-Asia, International, Middle East

INTERNATIONAL — (NPA) March 16, 2026 — The European Commission has approved €458 million in humanitarian aid for Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt in 2026. This comes as major donors withdraw from the region and international humanitarian law faces unprecedented strain.

A statement by EU Spokesperson Eva Hrncirova clarified that Syria will receive €210 million to sustain emergency response and protection nationwide. More than a year after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, 16.5 million people still require aid, including 3.2 million returnees facing destroyed infrastructure and limited livelihoods. Funding covers food, healthcare, shelter, clean water, and education.

In Palestine, €124 million will support food, health, protection, shelter, and education under extremely difficult conditions. Over 3.3 million people remain in need — 2.1 million in Gaza and 1.2 million in the West Bank. Gaza faces malnutrition, a collapsed healthcare system, and systematic obstruction of aid.

Lebanon will receive €100 million for emergency healthcare, basic assistance, protection, shelter, and education. Needs are acute: even before the current crisis, over three million people required aid. In March 2026, Israeli airstrikes displaced more than 800,000 people. EU humanitarian airbridge flights are already delivering medical and relief supplies.

Jordan will receive €15.5 million to sustain essential services such as health and protection, meeting the needs of refugees both in and outside camps. Egypt will receive €8 million for multi-sectoral assistance, including education for out-of-school children and disaster preparedness. Egypt currently hosts over 1.5 million refugees and asylum seekers, notably from Sudan and Gaza.