EU begins aid deliveries to Gaza hospitals
The European Commission said Tuesday that it has started delivering 600,000 Euros in monthly aid to hospitals in the Gaza Strip through an internationally backed plan that bypasses the Hamas-led government.

EU spokeswoman Emma Udwin said it was the first time the European Union was using the special aid plan, which was set up as a way to keep funneling assistance to the Palestinians even after the EU froze direct aid to the Palestinian government.

The funds are to go toward the purchase of fuel for emergency generators at Gaza hospitals, Udwin said.

She said the aid was requested by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas after the IDF destroyed six electricity transformers at a power plant during its recent offensive in the Gaza Strip.

“I believe the first deliveries were made this morning in Gaza,” Udwin said.

“A large portion of Gaza is without electricity, now that clearly impacts on all kinds of aspects of life, but in particular there is a very acute impact on hospitals,” Udwin said. “We discovered they had reserves of fuel for only eight days.”

EU officials said the aid was justified because the consequences of hospitals running without electricity would be severe, notably for patients dependent on medical machines.

“The current situation is very critical, but we are determined to bring relief to the Palestinian people,” said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, adding that the first aid money was “a tangible contribution to the continued provision of essential health services.”

The aid is being channeled through an international funding plan that aims to give aid to Palestinians without involving the Hamas-led government.

The EU said it has put aside 105 million Euros for special funding through the aid plan, which would be sent through the World bank for services such as health care, utilities and social welfare, and pay stipends directly to poor Palestinians.

Additional aid announcements will be made in the coming weeks, officials said.

The emergency aid plan was drawn up together with the United States, Russia and the United Nations, which agreed with the EU in May that a mechanism had to be found to keep the Palestinian economy afloat after most international aid was cut off following the Hamas win in January elections.

The four have called the fund temporary and limited, and said they will reassess the need for it in two months