# 2008–2009 Gaza Strip aid

Following the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, an international conference took place on 2 March 2009 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where donor countries and international bodies pledged almost US$4.5 billion for humanitarian and reconstruction aid for the Gaza Strip. These funds bypassed Hamas, with the PA in collaboration with the donor community taking the lead in delivering and distributing the funds. Damage from the Israeli offensive was estimated to be almost $2 billion. However, actual transfers of aid had been beset by difficulties.

## Pledges

Donors pledged US$4.481 billion at the Sharm el-Sheikh conference to help the Palestinian economy and rebuild the Gaza Strip. The biggest donor was Saudi Arabia with $1 billion, followed by the United States with $900 million, a third for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the rest to assist the Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas. The conference was criticized by Iran.

## Donations

| Donor | Donation worth (in US$ or €) (US$ millions) | Notes and other assistance |
| European Union | 4.200 | Emergency humanitarian aid. |
| OIC | | The OIC aid convoy includes 300 tons of medicine, medical equipment, and food supplies. |
| Algeria | 200.000 | President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, announced at the economy and development summit of Arab heads of state, held in Kuwait, that Algeria will contribute up to $200 million for the reconstruction of Gaza. Government announced that Algeria will send medical aid. A team of doctors and surgeons would accompany the aid package, which includes medical supplies. Humanitarian aid consisted of 37 tons of food and medicine and was dispatched on January 18. |
| Argentina | | Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana designated the White Helmets Commission to coordinate with the Ministries of Health and Social Action, sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip which consists of food aid, medicines, tents and water treatment tablets. Argentina sent the first aid shipment on January 16, consisting of 4 tons of humanitarian aid. |
| Australia | 3.500 | Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard said that "as part of its commitment to help support people caught up in the conflict, the Australian government will make an immediate commitment of A$5 million in additional assistance to the people of the Gaza Strip and stands ready to consider further assistance in the future". |
| Bahrain | 1.000 | A$1 million (BD378,000) aid consignment left Bahrain on board two planes. The initiative was supervised by the Royal Charity Organisation. |
| Bolivia | | Bolivia sent food in coordination with Venezuela. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | | Specialised medical teams and medical requirements to Gaza Strip. |
| Brazil | | The Brazilian government sent 14 tons of medicines and food. |
| Bulgaria | | Deputy Prime Minister Ivaylo Kalfin announced that Bulgaria would dispatch humanitarian aid to Gaza despite difficulties. |
| Canada | 3.380 | Canada will give 4 million Canadian dollars to the United Nations and Red Cross to be used for humanitarian assistance in the Palestinian Territories. Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said that $3 million will be given to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the remaining $1 million will go to the Red Cross. |
| Chile | | Chile sent 3.5 tons of medical materials as its first consignment. Second consignment consisted of 24 tons aid, mainly milk, blankets, diapers and medicines, shipped on a Chilean Air Force's Boeing 757-300 ER to Amman. |
| China | 1.000 | Emergency humanitarian aid for the Palestinian National Authority to buy urgently needed material. |
| Denmark | 3.650 | The Development Ministry has contributed 20 million kroner to victims of the crisis. |
| Egypt | | The Egyptian Ministry of Health sent 30 buses to North Sinai to help transport injured Palestinians. Egypt has ordered dozens of ambulances to the Rafah crossing to help evacuate wounded Gazans for treatment in Egypt. |
| Estonia | 0.100 | Aid to be delivered via the United Nations. |
| Finland | 0.675 | Finland's support was conveyed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through the Finnish Red Cross. |
| France | 4.000 | France decided emergency aid of three million euros "in response to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the Israeli army is conducting a major operation against the Islamic movement Hamas". One million is intended for the UN office for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), one million for the World Food Program (WFP) and one million for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), said spokesman for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eric Chevallier. |
| Germany | 15.300 | Aid for humanitarian efforts in Gaza. |
| Greece | | Two Greek C-130 military airplanes took off on Thursday with a cargo of 280 tons of humanitarian aid. It is one of the largest Greek despatches of blood and blood by-products ever organised, as well as IV drips, antibiotics and other medicinal supplies. Foreign ministry secretary general Theodoros Skylakakis said that aid is one of the first missions that will arrive in Gaza. Second shipment was composed mainly of food and medicines collected by the Church of Greece and other agencies, and was dispatched under the responsibility of the Foreign Ministry's Hellenic Aid. Third shipment departed for Gaza from the port of Piraeus on January 19, in the presence of Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos of the Church of Greece. Foreign Minister announced more aid "with much greater fervour, because the humanitarian corridors are open now and, therefore, aid can arrive quickly. No matter how much we send, of course, more is always needed. Therefore, all the agencies coordinated in Greece and the government, of course, and the Church of Greece will combine our strength to enable us to have the best possible results." |
| India | 1.000 | Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Vishnu Prakash today said, "In response to the 'Flash Appeal' made by the United Nations Refugee Welfare Agency (UNRWA), the Indian Government has decided to extend an assistance of US$1 million for use by the agency to provide shelters, cash assistance, essential household items, etc., to affected families in Gaza.". |
| Indonesia | 1.000 | In addition to the aid, the government has pledged two tonnes of medical supplies. Islamic organisations in Indonesia have dispatched humanitarian aid to Gaza, worth US$200,000. |
| Iran | 2.500 | The government has dispatched planeload of aid, including medicine to Gaza and several ships which also where carrying aid to the Gaza Strip. They have also requested Egypt to open up its borders so that they (Iran) could send more aid, including oil and basic human needs such as clothes and other mechanical needs. |
| Ireland | 0.680 | €500,000 in humanitarian aid to Gaza. |
| Israel | 1.000 | Injured Palestinian civilians have been taken to Israel medical facilities for care, including Ashkelon's Barzilai Hospital—which was under Hamas rocket fire during the war—and Schneider Children's Hospital. Magen David Adom, the Israeli version of the Red Cross, has been working extensively on the Israeli-Gaza border to treat the injured, with 600 ambulances available around the clock. Physicians for Human Rights-Israel donated about $1 million for medical equipment and medicine to Gaza residents. |
| Italy | 4.130 | Total worth of emergency aid, made to several UN agencies either in form of donation or aid is about 3,200,000 EUR. Italy was the first European country to contribute aid. |
| Japan | 10.000 | Pledged in humanitarian aid. |
| Jordan | | Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation dispatched the 15-truck convoy loaded with three kidney dialysis units and a ventilator, while two vehicles carried bread and a third was loaded with bottled drinking water. |
| Kuwait | 534.000 | Two military planes with humanitarian aid. First plane carried 10 tons of relief aid with food and medical supplies on board. Second plane will be dispatched with two ambulances and food and medical supplies on board. Aid came upon instructions of Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Emir also announced that Kuwait would donate USD 34 million to honor UN Relief and Works Agency's (UNRWA) immediate needs in Palestinian territories. Emir announced additional USD 500 million donation to UNRWA. |
| Lebanon | 1.000 | Pledged aid. |
| Libya | | Has sent a plane carrying aid to al-Arish for Gaza. |
| Luxembourg | 0.685 | This emergency program aims to provide basic food rations, provide temporary shelter to 5,000 people displaced by the conflict, provide financial support to Palestinian families affected to help cover the medical care required, provide 500,000 liters of fuel to municipalities and other agencies providing public services to the population in the Gaza Strip. |
| Malaysia | 1.000 | To be donated via Mercy Malaysia. |
| Morocco | | Two planes were sent with 63 tonnes: 15 tonnes of medicine, 20 tonnes of flour, eight tonnes of sugar, eight tonnes of cooking oil, six tonnes of milk, 4.5 tonnes of cheese and 1.5 tonnes of tea. Three thousands blankets for Gaza have also been carried on the air lift. Morocco said it was ready to care for 200 injured Palestinians. |
| Netherlands | 4.000 | Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders has pledged three million euros in aid for the Gaza Strip. Two million euros will go to UNRWA, the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians. The remaining one million euros will be given to the Red Crescent. |
| New Zealand | 0.546 | The Foreign Affairs Ministry, noted that New Zealand makes an annual contribution to the United Nations Emergency Response Fund, which it considers to be adequate and that for now there will be no additional aid to the Middle East. However, on January 19 Foreign Minister Murray McCully said that "there is a pressing need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza, and the ceasefire provides a window for aid agencies to provide that help" and that New Zealand will donate 1 mln NZ dollars to the Red Cross to provide urgently needed medical supplies and safe drinking water to the civilian population of Gaza, and to care for those affected by the conflict. |
| Norway | 4.320 | As one of the first Western states to recognise the Hamas-led government in 2007, Norway has given the donation in "immediate aid" to Gaza. |
| Oman | | The supplies provided include medications, power generators, and medical equipment. |
| Poland | 0.350 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to the appeal issued by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), sent EUR 250,000 immediately to help those who have been most harmed in the Palestinian Authority. |
| Portugal | 0.400 | Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to the appeal issued by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), sent EUR 400,000 immediately to help Gazans. |
| Qatar | 1.140 | NGO Reach Out To Asia (Rota) pledged $1m in humanitarian aid to Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip. Qatar Charity, a non-governmental organisation has delivered medical supplies worth $140,000 to the Palestinian Ministry of Health Hospitals. |
| Russia | | 60 tons of tents, medicines and food. President Dmitry Medvedev ordered for additional help to be sent. |
| Saudi Arabia | 1,000.000 | King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz announced the donation for the reconstruction of Gaza at an Arab League economic summit in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia also launched "the Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Campaign to Provide Humanitarian Relief to the Palestinian People in Gaza." This effort is a nationwide endeavor which is coordinated by a number of entities, including representative of the provincial governments. Through this effort 6.5 mln dollars were collected. The $6 million is sent to UNRWA to provide food for the people of Gaza and $500,000 to buy fuel which UNRWA provides to local authorities and utilities in Gaza to pump water and incinerate refuse, both essential operations in prevent outbreaks of disease. |
| South Africa | | 84 tons of supplies including: medical equipment, medicines, other medical supplies, high energy and protein supplements, plaster of paris, bottled water, cooking oil, milk powder, glucose biscuits, generators, blankets and disposable nappies also transported a team of 25 South African doctors and journalists to Gaza. Also included in the consignment of humanitarian aid is an ambulance carrying all vital equipment for medical procedures. |
| South Korea | 0.300 | Humanitarian aid. |
| Spain | 6,.500 | The government of Spain has contributed EUR 5 million to UNRWA in response to the Agency's Flash Appeal for Gaza. This contribution is "unearmarked", appreciating the importance of flexibility for the implementation of UNRWA's response to early recovery needs. Spain also sent 104 tons of humanitarian aid in three shipments. |
| Sweden | 2.200 | Given to a UN-administered fund for Gaza in two payments. The Swedish International Development Agency said the funds were being used for hospitals, medicines and food. |
| Switzerland | 2.700 | Switzerland has provided humanitarian aid to the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank incl. East Jerusalem totalling CHF 12 million in 2008. On 9.1.2009 it was decided to give an extra 3 million. |
| Syria | | Syria sent 600 tons of food, medical supplies, blankets, winter clothes and other basic human needs in three aid convoys. |
| Thailand | 0.028 | Thailand will provide an immediate financial contribution of US$28,000 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to address the emergency needs of the people affected by the conflict in Gaza. |
| Tunisia | | President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali decided to dispatch aid, as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Aid consisted of 16 tons of medicine, foodstuff, blankets and tents. |
| Turkey | 63.000 | 63 million dollar donated, 11,000 boxes of food and 100 trucks of medicine, food and humanitarian aid supplied, 5 ambulances donated. |
| United Arab Emirates | 91.300 | UAE raised $85.8M in the first days of a campaign to collect aid for the Palestinian victims. United Arab Emirates also donated $5,5 million to Red Cross/Red Crescent. |
| United Kingdom | 40.000 | The donation is to be made in the form of food, fuel and medicine supplies to Gaza. |
| United States | 20.300 | President George W. Bush said "We care about the people of Gaza, and, therefore, have provided millions of dollars of fresh aid to the United Nations to help". President Barack Obama authorised the use of $20.3 million in emergency funding for immediate humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees and conflict victims in the Gaza Strip. |
| Venezuela | | Venezuelan sent an airplane with the first 80 tons of medicine, foods and water, accompanied by the task force Simon Bolivar and 30 Venezuelan doctors. Venezuela sent a second batch of humanitarian aid—the 84 tons of aid that includes 50 tons of food, 19 tons of medicines and medical materials, 10 tons of water and five tons of commodities. |
| Vietnam | 0.200 | The Vietnamese Government granted US$200,000 in emergent humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza. The funds are channeled via the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East. |
| Yemen | | Yemen has prepared 42 tons of aid for the people of Gaza. Yemen has also declared its readiness to receive 500 injured Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and treat them in Yemeni hospitals. |
* Note, no entry in the "Donation worth (USD)" column indicates the amount is presently unknown.

## Difficulties
### Concerns of strengthening Hamas

Militant Islamist organization Hamas, which is the de facto governing body of the Gaza Strip, is boycotted by western countries as a terrorist organization. In an international conference on reconstructing Gaza, donors insisted that the aid money for the Gaza Strip must bypass Hamas. An administration official from the United States, which pledged $900 million in aid, said that none of the country's aid would go to Hamas, being funneled instead through United Nations groups and non-governmental organizations. However, congresspersons expressed concern that some money would fall into the hands of Hamas. "To route $900 million to this area, and let's say Hamas was only able to steal 10 percent of that, we would still become Hamas' second-largest funder after Iran," said Representative Mark Kirk (R-Ill.). Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller stressed that aid from Denmark would not end up in the hands of Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that "Israel supports foreign aid to the Strip, but it is important to build mechanisms and oversight methods to ensure that the aid reaches Gazan civilians and will not be used to strengthen Hamas." Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, of the rival Fatah party, advised international donors to send Gaza reconstruction money directly to property owners, offering a plan that would effectively bypass the territory's Hamas rulers.
On 3 February, 3,500 blankets and over 400 food parcels were confiscated by Hamas police personnel from an UNRWA distribution center. On the following day, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator demanded that the aid be returned immediately. In a separate incident on 5 February, Hamas seized 200 tons of food from UNRWA aid supplies. The following day, UNRWA suspended its activities in Gaza. Hamas issued a statement stating that the incident was a misunderstanding between the drivers of the trucks and had been resolved through direct contact with the UNRWA. On 9 February, UNRWA lifted the suspension on the movement of its humanitarian supplies into Gaza, after the Hamas authorities returned all of the aid supplies confiscated.
Some local Gaza NGOs providing emergency aid stated that Hamas had ordered them to stop operating because it suspected they were affiliated with rival group Fatah.

### Israeli and Egyptian governments barring aid transfers

The Gaza Strip is bordered by Israel and Egypt, and much of the humanitarian aid reaches the strip through Israel. According to the Associated Press, "Israel allows in several dozen truckloads of aid every day, but bars the entry of concrete, pipes and other materials that it fears Hamas could seize." Israel says that cement and steel could be used by militants to build rockets and attack tunnels. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that opening border crossings was an "indispensable goal," adding that it was "essential to ensure that illegal weapons do not enter Gaza." U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed anger at Israeli delays in relaying Gaza aid.
On several occasions during the conflict, Egypt prevented the Muslim Brotherhood from delivering aid to Gaza. On 12 February, Egyptian police seized 2,200 tons of food and medical aid destined for the Gaza Strip and being stored by the group, arresting two of its members. A security official said that the two were accused of illegally storing goods. The Muslim Brotherhood is banned in Egypt.

### Israeli obstruction of aid

In June 2009 hundreds of Israeli protestors temporarily blocked goods and humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip. The protesters, waving signs and carrying posters of 22-year-old kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, cut off the approach to three major crossings into the Gaza Strip while dozens of trucks, loaded with aid, waited outside.
Israel tightened its blockade of the Gaza Strip stating that it will not remove the blockade until Shalit is freed.