EU grants €71M in aid to Palestine to fight COVID-19

By Said Ibicioglu and Hamdi Yildiz

JERUSALEM (AA) - The European Union announced a 71 million euro ($77 million) financial aid package Thursday for Palestine to fight the novel coronavirus.

The EU said in a statement that the pledge was made during a meeting earlier in the day between its Jerusalem representative Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.

The package reportedly includes around 10 million euros for six hospitals in East Jerusalem, 40 million euros for Palestinian Authority officials and six million euros for Palestinian businesses.

In addition, five million euros have been allocated to aid local communities and around seven million euros have been designated for NGOs working in the area.

After originating in Wuhan, China last December, COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has spread to at least 184 countries and regions across the world, with its epicenter shifting to Europe.

The pandemic has killed more than 95,000 people and infected over 1.6 million, while more than 354,000 people have recovered from the disease, according to figures collated by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

*Writing by Davut Demircan