Estonian Refugee Council opens office in the occupied Palestinian territory

Despite the October 2025 ceasefire, humanitarian needs in Gaza and the West Bank remain extremely high. The Estonian Refugee Council has established an official presence in the occupied Palestinian territory to expand its humanitarian assistance and livelihoods programmes.

The new presence will allow ERC to expand its work in both Gaza and the West Bank, with a particular focus on cash-based humanitarian assistance and livelihoods recovery. A permanent presence will enable closer cooperation with local partners, more direct assessment of needs, and faster adaptation of programmes as conditions change.

Eero Janson, Director of the Estonian Refugee Council, said: “We have been working in the occupied Palestinian territory with local partners since autumn 2025. Establishing a permanent presence means that we can now remain engaged at a time when the need for humanitarian assistance has by no means disappeared with the ceasefire. In Gaza, a large share of the population continues to depend on humanitarian assistance, while displacement and protection needs are increasing across the West Bank. Being present locally will allow us to respond more quickly with our partners, reach people whose needs might otherwise remain unmet, and gradually complement emergency assistance with support for people to rebuild their livelihoods.”

Humanitarian needs across the occupied Palestinian territory remain extremely high. While the October 2025 ceasefire and the scale-up of humanitarian assistance have brought measurable improvements in Gaza, these gains remain highly fragile and much of the population continues to depend on external assistance. An estimated 82 per cent of all structures in Gaza have been damaged, while nearly the entire population of 2.1 million people is concentrated in less than half of the Strip. Some 1.4 million people are projected to face Crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity in the second half of 2026; without continued humanitarian food assistance, this figure would rise to an estimated 1.9 million. Hostilities meanwhile continue, including incidents affecting health facilities and other civilian infrastructure. Humanitarian and protection needs are also increasing across the West Bank. Operations by Israeli forces, settler violence, demolitions and movement restrictions continue to drive displacement, undermine livelihoods and restrict access to essential services.

The Estonian Refugee Council has been active in the occupied Palestinian territory since September 2025. Working with a local partner and with support from private donors in Estonia and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the organisation provided food assistance to hospitals across the territory. In total, more than 12,000 food parcels were distributed, helping to ensure daily meals for both patients and hospital staff working under extremely challenging conditions.

The Estonian Refugee Council (ERC) is a rights-based humanitarian organisation. Established in 2000, the Estonian Refugee Council has grown to become the largest humanitarian organisation in the Baltics. ERC currently operates in Estonia, Ukraine, Armenia, Syria, Sudan and the occupied Palestinian territory. ERC provides immediate assistance in emergencies and supports crisis-affected people in rebuilding their lives. Donate on the Estonian Refugee Council´s website to help us provide critical aid to those in urgent need.