Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union announced in a statement in Brussels that it will provide €22 million to support patients in East Jerusalem hospitals, including patients from Gaza and the West Bank. It is among the regions that have witnessed and continue to witness the genocide of Palestinians carried out by the Israeli occupation forces, in full view of the entire world, whether through killing, displacement, or starvation and deprivation of food and water. Women, children, and the elderly have starved to death, increasing the death toll, which has so far exceeded 100,000, including dozens of deaths. In conjunction with this, the European Union issued another statement on the occasion of European Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, which claimed the lives of more than 4,000 European Roma in Hungary. The statement said, "On Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day, 2 August, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; Roxana Menzată, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights, Skills, Good Jobs, and Preparedness; and Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management, made the following statement:
"Today we commemorate the 4,300 Roma and Sinti children, women, and men who were forcibly taken from their prison at Auschwitz-Birkenau on 2 August 1944, and executed in gas chambers—a brutal mass murder committed 81 years ago.
On this solemn day, we remember all 500,000 Roma who were murdered during the Roma Holocaust—a genocide that claimed the lives of millions of innocent people, including millions of Jews. It tore families, communities, and cultures apart across Europe.
This year also marks a decade since August 2 was officially recognized as European Roma Holocaust Remembrance Day. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to honoring the memory of Roma and Sinti victims and ensuring that their suffering is not forgotten, ignored, or trivialized.
We stand united against discrimination and anti-Romaism, which remain a serious threat to Roma communities. We also reaffirm our commitment to preserving the memory of the Roma Holocaust through education, remembrance, and combating all forms of Holocaust denial and distortion. We carry the memory of the victims in our hearts, and we stand together resolutely in our quest to ensure human dignity is upheld, diversity is celebrated, and hatred is rejected. We will never forget.
Regarding the suffering in the Palestinian territories, the European Union has contributed €22 million to the Palestinian Authority to support the reimbursement of medical referrals to the East Jerusalem Hospital Network. Italy has also contributed an additional €1 million.
Thanks to this support, the six East Jerusalem hospitals—currently under pressure due to the ongoing conflict and economic challenges related to the war in Gaza—will be able to continue providing high-quality healthcare to Palestinian patients, including patients from Gaza and the West Bank.
Since 2013, the European Union and its Member States have supported the Palestinian Authority with regular contributions to reimburse medical referrals to East Jerusalem hospitals, totaling over €213 million. These hospitals are an integral part of the Palestinian healthcare system, providing specialized medical services unavailable in public hospitals. This year's contribution is part of the comprehensive multi-year program for Palestine's recovery and resilience, amounting to €1.6 billion. This contribution has increased compared to last year, given the current difficult situation on the ground and the repercussions of some donors.
Following the disbursement of €150 million in June, the Palestinian Authority has received €172 million in financial assistance in 2025.
Disbursements are channeled through the PEGASE Direct Financial Support Mechanism, a Palestinian-European mechanism for managing social and economic aid with transparency and security. The Commission is working to establish a Palestinian Donor Group, which will present PEGASE to participants and donors as a secure system for channeling support to the Palestinian Authority.