France’s humanitarian action in Palestine

Since 2023, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS), working in coordination with the European Union and its partners, has delivered more than 1,700 tons of aid for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, including food to combat malnutrition, shelters for displaced persons, medicines and equipment for the supply of drinking water.

Infinite humanitarian needs in Gaza

The entire population of Gaza, 2.1 million people, require humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip. According to the World Bank, almost the entire Gazan population now lives below the poverty line, compared with 64% prior to 7 October 2023.

Since 7 October 2023, almost 75,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 18,000 children, while 170,000 have been wounded and 10,000 have disappeared because of Israeli military operations in the Gaza strip, according to Gaza Ministry of Health data published by the United Nations. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 160,000 homes have been destroyed, and 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced within the Gaza Strip. Some of them have been forced to relocate several times.

France calls on Israel to immediately lift obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid and re-open all crossing points, in accordance with the Gaza peace plan. International NGOs must be able to work in the field without restrictions.

France supports an immediate and permanent ceasefire, which must enable the large-scale, free and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid.

An International Humanitarian Conference to finance humanitarian aid for Gaza

On 9 November 2023, President Emmanuel Macron convened States and the main humanitarian stakeholders, including the United Nations and NGOs at the first international humanitarian conference for Gaza’s civilian population. The conference aimed to provide a response from the international community to the needs of the Palestinian people and to unite international support.

France, a partner to humanitarian NGOs

Before 7 October 2023, France already supported local and international NGOs working in Palestine.

Since then, it has significantly strengthened and diversified its portfolio of supported projects in the Gaza Strip in order to improve the Palestinians’ access to healthcare, shelter and drinking water, as well as sanitary conditions and their food and nutritional security.

In the West Bank, where the economic and security situation has also worsened, France has sought to counter the path of de facto annexation and the explosion of settler violence. France continues to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian families in all essential sectors: healthcare, water, hygiene and sanitation, food security and nutrition, education, and shelter. France also allocates some of its humanitarian budget to protection programmes. These programmes help, for example, to document human rights violations and gender-based violence, to protect the civilian victims thereof and to provide them with safe, unrestricted access to the aid and services they require.

France supports the United Nations and international organizations

France supports the work of UN humanitarian agencies in Gaza, which remain the backbone of humanitarian assistance in the enclave.

France supports the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the key actor supporting Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the wider region, the World Food Programme (WFP) in its action to fight food insecurity and malnutrition in Gaza, and UNICEF in its work supporting children and water and sanitation systems. France also supports the International Committee of the Red Cross in its protection and healthcare work. This support has enabled the United Nations to provide an emergency response for civilians.

France contributes to the United Nations Horizon Fund to address the urgent needs of civilian populations, supporting UN work to foster early recovery in Gaza.

Direct aid for Gazans

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, France has delivered almost 1,700 tons of humanitarian assistance to the Gazan people, including medicines and medical equipment, food rations and nutritional supplements, by sea, land and air, via Egypt and Jordan.

These large-scale logistical operations were carried out in partnership with the French Ministry for the Armed Forces, the European Union, the CMA-CGM Foundation, the Airbus Foundation and several regional partners.

France has also provided direct medical assistance to Gazans, in partnership with the Egyptian and Jordanian authorities.

The deployment of the Dixmude landing helicopter dock off the coast of El Arish, Egypt, from 28 November 2023 to 27 January 2024 enabled more than 1,000 medical consultations and 120 surgical procedures to be carried out. Around 30 healthcare professionals, including emergency doctors, paediatricians, gynaecologists and nurses, were deployed with the staff of the Military Health Service (SSA), in partnership with the Egyptian authorities and the Egyptian Red Crescent. Support was also received from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Jordan, Canada, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Based on needs, hospital availability in France, ability to leave Gaza and the wishes of families, wounded and sick Gazan children were admitted to French hospitals for treatment.

Furthermore, France helped equip several partner relief organizations  (e.g. Egyptian Red Crescent, Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization) which play an essential role in caring for the wounded and sick in the Palestinian territories, in addition to local healthcare services.