A fresh tranche of European funding worth €9.29 million has been released to support the transfer of patients requiring urgent and specialised treatment to hospitals in East Jerusalem, as the humanitarian strain of the ongoing genocidal war continues to weigh heavily on Gaza and the wider Palestinian healthcare system. The announcement was made by EU representative Alexandre Stutzmann during a visit to Augusta Victoria Hospital, one of the key institutions providing advanced care under mounting pressure.

The funding is channelled through the European Union’s PEGASE mechanism, with contributions from Finland, Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland. It comes at a moment described by officials as particularly critical, as hospitals in East Jerusalem face growing financial constraints while remaining a lifeline for patients in need of specialised services unavailable elsewhere. These facilities have continued to operate under sustained demand, treating complex cases despite limited resources.

Since 2013, the European Union, alongside its member states and partners, has allocated more than €225 million to support medical referrals of this kind. European officials reiterated their commitment to ensuring access to healthcare, while also calling for the urgent reopening of Gaza’s crossings to allow the entry of essential medical supplies and the evacuation of patients requiring treatment abroad, an issue that has become increasingly pressing amid the prolonged humanitarian emergency.