The European Union has been providing financial aid to the Palestinians for years, but following the Gaza war, it is imposing stricter conditions on recipients. According to Vice Commission President Valdis Dombrovskis, an audit report showed that there was no indication that EU money had flowed directly or indirectly to the radical Islamic Hamas. However, Brussels wants to check more closely in the future whether recipients of the money are inciting hatred, violence, or anti-Semitism.

The EU put its support for the Palestinians to the test after a brutal Hamas attack on Israel left 1,200 dead and around 240 abducted. The EU Commission submitted a report on aid amounting to 331 million euros for the current year. While no European funds went to Hamas, there is suspicion that some recipients may have taken part in hate speech and “glorification of terror.” Brussels demanded further information from local partners about a further 39 million euros.

Aid worth 75 million euros for the Gaza Strip was classified as “unfeasible” and should be reallocated. Despite this setback, the EU sees itself as the largest supporter of the Palestinians worldwide. In total, aid in the period 2021 to 2024 will amount to almost 1.2 billion euros. Humanitarian aid was not affected by the review. Germany and other member states also put their national aid to the test after