The EU will allocate an additional 25 million euros to support the residents of Gaza.

The European Union will provide residents of the Gaza Strip with additional humanitarian aid in the amount of 25 million euros, said the President of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen.

“The European Union will increase humanitarian aid by 25 million euros. Thus, the EU will spend a total of 100 million euros on humanitarian assistance to the civilian population of Gaza,” she said during her speech at the EU Ambassadors Conference (quote according to TASS).

Israel has the right to self-defense, but the Jewish state must act within the framework of international humanitarian law, von der Leyen added. According to her, the blockade of Gaza does not rid this territory of terrorists, but destroys the economy and well-being of the population.

Days after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7 and the Israeli military responded by shelling the Gaza Strip, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the European Union would not stop sending financial aid to Palestine.

Then von der Leyen, after negotiations with UN Secretary General António Guterres, announced that the EC for 50 million euros immediately will increase the current aid package provided for the residents of Gaza. The total amount of support in this way will be more than 75 million euros, she said.

The Politico newspaper wrote that because of the EC head’s trip to Israel on October 14, European diplomats accused her for exceeding her official powers. According to the publication, discontent was caused, among other things, by the fact that von der Leyen did not convey to Israel the EC’s calls to comply with international law in the Gaza Strip, but only expressed solidarity with those affected by the actions of the Hamas group.