The City Council will be doubling its ordinary aid payments to the UNRWA, from 90,000 euros to 190,000 euros a year, to fund projects for the Palestinian population. It will also be activating the special emergency fund again in 2024.

According to the UNRWA, 1.7 million people (over 75% of the population) have been displaced in the whole of the Gaza Strip. To ensure that supplies reach the near 2 million people (over half of them children) there were 700 lorries entering Gaza every day before 7 October. Today there are fewer than 500 lorries a day and there are serious difficulties getting supplies in.

Barcelona City Council has provided 300,000 euros through special humanitarian aid subsidies to help the current UNRWA project “Emergency response to the food needs of the population in the Gaza Strip”. The hope is that this support can help reach nearly 20,600 people.

Funding from the City Council to cover the basic needs of the civilian population are channelled through the United Nations (UNRWA) and the Palestine Red Crescent (Red Cross), which have strict protocols on access to civilian victims, safety and neutrality in the conflict.