7/30/2025–|Last update: 13:00 (Mecca time)
The European Union and the Italian government have announced a joint financial contribution of 23 million euros to the Palestinian Authority, designated to cover the costs of medical transfers to East Jerusalem Hospitals.
According to the statement issued by the European Union today, Wednesday, this contribution comes within the framework of direct financial support to the Palestinian Authority budget, as the European Union allocated 22 million euros, while Italy has contributed a million euros.
The representative of the European Union in Palestine, Alexander Stuttsmann, said that “the European Union and its member state confirm through this contribution their commitment to ensuring that all Palestinians reach basic medical care, at a time when the health regime suffers from the effects of the war in Gaza and escalating tensions in the West Bank,” said Alexander Stuttsmann, representative of the European Union in Palestine.
She called for “the reopening of the crossings to deliver urgent medical supplies to Gaza, and to facilitate the transfer of patients with critical cases to East Jerusalem Hospitals.”
According to the statement, this contribution would enable the Palestinian Authority to fulfill its financial obligations towards East Jerusalem Hospitals, which face increasing pressure as a result of the existing conditions and deteriorating economic conditions, and also ensures the continued provision of specialized medical care to Palestinian patients in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in light of the sharp shortage of services within public hospitals.
For his part, the Italian Consul General in Jerusalem, Dominico Pilato, said that “this contribution comes at a critical moment in which the Palestinian health system is under great pressure,” noting the importance of the “Pegas” mechanism in enabling patients to obtain high -quality medical services in East Jerusalem, to which the West Bank facilities are currently lacking.
Most of the European Union aid to the Palestinian Authority is managed through the “Pegas” mechanism, which was launched in 2008 to support reforms and national development plans, and includes salary financing, social assistance and the costs of medical transfers. The total funding provided through this mechanism has reached more than 3 billion euros until today.
Since 2013, the European Union, along with its member state, has funded medical transfers to East Jerusalem Hospitals, at a value of more than 213 million euros, according to the statement.