BRUSSELS: The European Commission announced Friday that it would donate ?436 million ($553 million) in aid to the conflict-torn Gaza Strip at an international donors conference next week.
By offering a substantial aid package we confirm our generosity and commitment towards the Palestinians, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in a statement.
The commissioner is to pledge the funds, for this year, on Monday at a donors conference in Egypt aimed at helping rebuild Gaza following Israel s war on Hamas, which started in late December.
The European Union is the biggest donor of funds to the Palestinians, providing more than half a billion euros each year, but it holds little political influence over Israel.
The Palestinian Authority has said that it will seek $2.8 billion to rebuild Gaza, even as Israel warned of another military strike if arms smuggling into the Hamas-run Strip continues.
We will dedicate part of our assistance to early recovery after the conflict at the beginning of the year, notably for urgently needed removal of rubble and unexploded ordinance and for providing assistance for traumatized children, Ferrero-Waldner said.
The funds will also be used to back a cash for work scheme and repair shelters damaged during Israel s attack, aimed at ending rocket attacks launched from Gaza on Israeli citizens.
In announcing the pledge, the commissioner also called on Israel to end its blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory, to allow aid and goods to enter unhindered.
The crucial problem at the moment is not related to funding but to access, she said.
In the aftermath of the crisis, a clear priority remains the immediate and unconditional reopening of all Gaza crossings on a regular and predictable basis, for the flow of humanitarian and commercial goods as well as people.
The Gaza Strip has been under a tight Israeli blockade since Hamas seized power in June 2007, ousting forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas whose power base is now limited to the West Bank.
Israel insists it will not reopen its crossing points until Hamas releases Gilad Shalit, a soldier captured by Palestinian fighters in a deadly cross-border raid from Gaza in June 2006.
More than 70 countries are expected at Monday s meeting in the Egyptian coastal resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Egypt has been mediating a consolidation of the Gaza truce after Hamas and Israel declared on Jan. 18 their own ceasefires to end the 22-day war, in which more than 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.
Sporadic attacks have continued on both sides since.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly called for better access to Gaza. -AFP
