Portugal contributes with €10M in humanitarian aid for Gaza

The Portuguese Government will offer a voluntary contribution of 10 million euros to boost humanitarian aid in Gaza. The announcement was made by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Francisco André, at the International Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza, held in Paris.

The Portuguese Government’s contribution supports the efforts made by the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations on the ground such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

At the conference hosted on 9 November by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Secretary of State Francisco André reiterated Portugal’s commitment to the two State solution and full respect for international humanitarian law, noting the imperative need for an urgent and robust humanitarian response to the situation in Gaza, which has been deteriorating daily, in order to relieve suffering for all civilians.

This conference brought together the main international players involved in the response to the humanitarian situation in Gaza with the aim of ensuring respect for international humanitarian law, the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, as well as expanding access to humanitarian aid and boosting the international response in the fields of health, water, energy, and food.