Latest update on September 2026
Minister of Foreign Affairs Tajani launched the ‘Food for Gaza’ initiative on 11 March 2024 at a meeting in Rome with the Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Qu Dongyu, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Cindy McCain, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Xavier Castellanos.
Food for Gaza has the full support of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, whose Ministers of Foreign Affairs have cited it as a model to follow.
The initiative was funded through grants approved by the Council of Ministers for emergency measures in the Gaza Strip, totalling approximately EUR 40 million, including an allocation of EUR 10 million to the WHO and UNICEF to support hospitals, procure medicines and assist with emergency medical and health-related activities in the Strip.
The Food For Gaza initiative comprises three areas of action:
- Humanitarian assistance
- Reception and medical care
- Educational programmes
HUMANITARIAN AID
Thanks to Food for Gaza, Italy has sent around 2,400 tonnes of food aid, medical supplies and essential goods to the Gaza Strip. The aid was channelled through the World Food Programme and the International Red Cross, reputable and impartial organisations that enjoy the trust of both sides.
Among the largest-scale operations carried out to date, the WFP has distributed 2,000 tonnes of flour via convoys departing from Jordan to assist around one million
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, with the crucial cooperation of the Ministry of Defence, airdrops were carried out to deliver around 100 tonnes of food supplies directly to Gaza.
As part of the humanitarian aid effort, 15 specialised lorries were delivered to the WFP in February 2025; these were subsequently modified to serve as ‘forklift trucks’ for the distribution of aid within the Gaza Strip. In addition, 15 tonnes of humanitarian aid containing essential items, including blankets and hygiene supplies, were delivered alongside the vehicles, intended to assist around 1,200 people.
In August 2025, it was also possible to allow 60 tonnes of high-nutritional-density animal feed to enter Gaza. This initiative has been carried out in collaboration with the FAO. The first round of distribution involved the provision of two sacks (100 kg) to each herder with at least one head of livestock, reaching a total of around 200 verified beneficiaries. Provision has also been made for the delivery of 3,500 veterinary kits for the treatment of animals.
ASSISTANCE AND MEDICAL CARE
Italy has given priority to taking in sick Palestinian children. As a result of these medical operations, 259 patients from Gaza have been admitted to healthcare facilities in Italy, accompanied by their families, bringing the total number of people to over 940.
The latest group of Palestinians arrived in Italy from Gaza on 9 February 2026 on three humanitarian flights bound for Rome, Milan and Pisa. This operation involved 26 patients, all suffering from severe congenital illnesses or serious injuries and amputations, together with 91 accompanying family members – 117 people in total.
These operations were made possible thanks to coordination led by the Prime Minister’s Office, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Civil Protection Department, and in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The intensive diplomatic work enabling these operations involved the Italian Embassies in Tel Aviv and Cairo, as well as the Consulate General in Jerusalem.
The hospitals that have made themselves available as part of the latest reception operation are the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, the Policlinico Gemelli and the Policlinico Umberto I in Rome; the Santobono and dei Colli Hospitals in Naples; the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin; the Padua University Hospital; the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza; the ASST Niguarda in Milan; the Gaslini Institute in Genoa; and the Perugia Hospital.
In the past, other healthcare facilities had also admitted Palestinian patients, including: the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo; the Maggiore, Sant’Orsola and Rizzoli Hospitals in Bologna; the Spedali Civili in Brescia; the Pineta Grande Hospital in Castel Volturno (Caserta); Catania Hospital; the Meyer Hospital in Florence; L’Aquila Hospital; the Apuano Paediatric Hospital in Massa; the IRCCS San Raffaele, the National Cancer Institute, the Vittore Buzzi Children’s Hospital and the Policlinico in Milan; the Policlinico in Modena; the Cisanello Hospital in Pisa; the San Camillo Hospital in Rome; the Veris Delli Ponti Hospital in Scorrano (Lecce); the Cattinara Hospital in Trieste; the ASST Sette Laghi in Varese; and the University Hospital in Verona.
Italy thus confirms its role as the leading Western country – ahead of all other European States combined – in organising the transfer of patients from Gaza Strip to specialised hospitals.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of University and Research and the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI), has launched the ‘university corridors’ initiative to allow young Palestinian scholarship holders awarded scholarships by Italian universities to leave their country and be hosted in Italy.
To date, 271 students and researchers have arrived in Italy as part of reception operations carried out under the coordination of the Crisis Unit of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some transfers were made possible thanks to special flights operated by the Guardia di Finanza, organised by the Civil Protection Department and the European Civil Protection Mechanism, with the contribution of CRUI. The most recent reception operation took place on 15 September 2026.
More than 41 universities are currently involved, including the University of Bari, the University of Bergamo, the University of Bologna (Unibo), the University of Brescia, the University of Cagliari, the University of Calabria, the University of Camerino, the University of Catania, the University of Ferrara, the University of Foggia, the University of L’Aquila, the University of Macerata, the University of Milano–Bicocca, Bocconi University, the University of Milan (UniMi – La Statale), the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, the University of Molise, the University of Naples Federico II, Parthenope University of Naples, the University of Padua, the University of Palermo, the University of Parma, the University of Pavia, the University of Perugia, the University for Foreigners of Perugia, the University of Eastern Piedmont, the University of Pisa, Sapienza University of Rome, the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Roma Tre University, the University of Sassari, the University of Siena, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the University of Turin, the University of Trieste, the University of Tuscia, the University of Udine, the University of Urbino, the University of Varese–Insubria, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and IUAV University of Venice.
This operation is the result of extensive diplomatic efforts involving the authorities of Israel and Jordan, through the work of the Embassies of Italy in Tel Aviv and Amman, as well as the Consulate General in Jerusalem. These efforts made it possible to establish a channel for students admitted to Italian universities. Work is ongoing to allow further scholarship holders to be hosted in Italy in the near future.
More than 280 scholarships have been awarded to Palestinian students from Gaza, through both regular calls under the Italian university system and the ‘Italian Universities for Palestinian Students’ (IUPALS) project, involving 41 Italian universities. In addition, over 50 scholarships have been awarded to Palestinian students residing in the West Bank.
Thanks to cooperation with the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land and the John Paul II Foundation, Italy also organises Italian language courses in Bethlehem and Ramallah.
