Israel-Gaza: Malta doubles assistance to Palestine

Malta has doubled its assistance to the UN agency which cares for Palestinians and Palestinian refugees throughout the Middle East, foreign affairs minister Ian Borg told EU ministers on Monday.

During the Foreign Affairs Council Meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, Borg again condemned Hamas’s attacks against Israel while underscoring Israel’s right to security and self-defence within the parameters of international law. He also called on Hamas to release all hostages.

Borg insisted that humanitarian aid to Gaza should be delivered quickly in order to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe and prevent the conflict from spilling over in the Middle East.

Foreign minister Ian Borg attending the Foreign Affairs Council Meeting on Monday (Photo: DOI)

He welcomed the EU Commission’s tripling of humanitarian aid for Gaza to over €75 million. He also informed the meeting that Malta doubled its assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

This year, Malta was expected to donate €75,000 this year. But following recent developments, Malta is contributing a further €75,000.

Borg remarked that the Two-State Solution, in line with relevant UN resolutions, is the only viable path towards peace in the Middle East. He said Malta will work on this in the UN Security Council.

On the Russian war in Ukraine, Borg said Malta supports a comprehensive peace agreement based on the 10-point peace plan suggested by President Zelensky.

Here, Borg informed his counterparts that Malta will host national security experts on October 28-29 for Ukraine peace talks. He urged them to ensure that EU member states are represented at the appropriate level.