Following the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and the potential for large-scale humanitarian aid to enter via land routes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), has launched a response plan to deliver Spanish aid to nearly two million Gazans facing famine and humanitarian needs of all kinds.
The Minister, José Manuel Albares, reiterated that “AECID’s emergency aid will be in place from the very outset, as soon as access via land crossings is possible”. He stressed that this aid aims “not only to end hunger, but also to meet the basic essential needs of the Gazan population”. Ensuring that aid prepared since March can enter the area is the plan's first priority. AECID has 12 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies, and 19 tonnes of shelter materials (tents) ready for delivery to the Gaza Strip.
Since 7 October 2023, AECID has mobilised over €50 million in humanitarian aid for Palestine. Following this week’s announcement of a ceasefire and the return of hostages, Spain will participate actively, through AECID, in the international and humanitarian community’s efforts to significantly scale up the entry and distribution of aid.
Support for local partners
In addition to working with the United Nations system, including UNRWA – which has already received €19.5 million in contributions from AECID this year – AECID will expand its support for civil society organisations, particularly local partners, which offer the quickest way to reinforce the response on the ground. In the coming days, €850,000 will be channelled to the Palestinian Red Crescent and the local NGO Al Awda.
In addition, €3 million in funding for Spanish NGOs is expected to be disbursed shortly, as part of AECID's extraordinary humanitarian call for proposals for Palestine, launched in February this year. Despite the difficulties imposed by the Israeli authorities, these NGOs – Action Against Hunger, Doctors of the World, Spanish Red Cross, Alliance for Solidarity, and Save the Children – continue to maintain operational capacity.
This effort is complemented by funds from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to which Spain has contributed €4.5 million in unearmarked funding this year, strengthening the UN’s response capacity in this new phase. The response plan will be adapted as the situation evolves, in coordination with humanitarian agencies on the ground, to assess the feasibility of other interventions – such as support for the treatment and evacuation of patients, and further financial support.
AECID maintains a firm commitment to the humanitarian response in Palestine, both through advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy and through funding for key humanitarian partners. In 2025 alone, the budget allocated to this crisis amounts to nearly €21.5 million. These figures are provisional and are expected to increase before the end of the year, in response to developments following the ceasefire.
This total includes contributions to key international organisations operating in the area, funding for humanitarian NGOs, and direct deliveries of humanitarian supplies – such as the air operation in August, which dropped 12 tonnes of food when land entry was blocked.
AECID works in coordination with UN agencies and leading humanitarian partners, who already have a plan ready for immediate implementation. Across the region, partners have 170,000 metric tonnes of food, health and nutrition supplies, shelter materials, and other essential aid prepared for immediate distribution.
-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-