The European Commission has confirmed €450 million in humanitarian aid for 2026 to support Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt, ensuring life-saving assistance continues amid a challenging regional context and the withdrawal of major donors. The funding addresses urgent humanitarian needs and reinforces compliance with International Humanitarian Law while sustaining critical support for millions affected by ongoing conflict and crises.
In Syria, €210 million will provide emergency response and protection nationwide. More than a year after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, 16.5 million people still require assistance, including 3.2 million returnees facing destroyed infrastructure and limited livelihood opportunities. The aid covers food, healthcare, shelter, clean water, and education for children out of school.
Palestine will receive €124 million to deliver food, health, protection, shelter, and education support to over 3.3 million people, including 2.1 million in Gaza and 1.2 million in the West Bank. In Gaza, civilians face malnutrition, a collapsed healthcare system, and systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid, making EU assistance crucial.
Lebanon is allocated €100 million to provide emergency healthcare, basic family support, protection services, shelter, and education. Even before the current crisis, over three million people required assistance, with March 2026 Israeli airstrikes displacing more than 800,000 people. EU humanitarian airbridge flights are already delivering medical supplies and relief items on the ground.
In Jordan, €15.5 million will support essential services, including health and protection, for refugees in and out of camps. Egypt will receive €8 million to assist the most vulnerable, including out-of-school children and refugees, particularly from Sudan and Gaza, as well as to fund regional disaster preparedness programs.
Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib emphasized the EU’s commitment: “In a war-torn Middle East, the European Union is stepping up while others step back…We will continue delivering life-saving aid for as long as it is needed.” The EU’s aid is delivered exclusively based on need, through UN agencies, international organisations, and NGOs, in line with humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence. This package includes €67.5 million mobilised from the Emergency Aid Reserve, pending approval.
