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Across Europe, city governments are stepping up with concrete measures to support civilians affected by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. From ethical procurement and emergency funding to civic mobilisation and community dialogue, local authorities are using the tools within their remit to uphold human rights and deliver aid to where it is most needed.

Mobilising humanitarian aid and emergency support

Cities are acting swiftly to provide direct assistance through funding and logistics.

• Lyon allocated €50,000 to the UN Relief and Works Agency, following earlier grants to the Red Cross and Médecins du Monde, totalling €150,000 in humanitarian aid to support the civilian population of Gaza.
• Bordeaux last year released €20,000 in emergency funds, while Oslo earmarked NOK 5 million for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in its 2025 budget adjustments, alongside strengthened local social assistance and reception-centre measures.
• Barcelona recently doubled its contribution to the UN Relief and Works Agency to €400,000, to support humanitarian aid for Gaza and Palestinian refugees. The city has also launched the solidarity and project ‘DISTRICT 11: Cities of Palestine’ to support cooperation with Palestinian cities.
  
• Sant Boi de Llobregat made donations via the Catalan Development Cooperation Fund.
• Helsinki approved €350,000 in humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza.
• Cologne offers its employees the possibility to voluntarily donate a small amount of their salaries (the leftover cents of their monthly net salary, so called ‘RestCent-Spende’) to charitable projects in sister cities or regions that suffer from catastrophes, such as war or natural disasters. This year, the city’s administration has decided to give €20,000 to children’s charities in Gaza.
• Brussels coordinated the collection of over 700 tonnes of relief goods.

These measures show how municipal budgets, logistics and partnerships can deliver rapid, targeted relief.

Ethical procurement and policy commitments

Some cities have integrated solidarity into their institutional frameworks, ensuring that public money supports ethical practice.

• Ghent introduced a boycott clause in 2024 to exclude purchases from companies profiting from the occupation. This line was updated and strengthened in September 2025, when the city council asked the wider ‘Group Ghent’ (a collection of key partners in the territory of the City of Ghent) to apply it, and to write to entities where the City of Ghent is an actor or shareholder, urging them to do the same.
• Pesaro adopted similar rules, rejecting products linked to settlement activity as part of its ethical purchasing standards.
• Bologna formally suspended institutional relations with the government of Israel, reaffirming its commitment to non-discrimination and international humanitarian principles; as did Barcelona, which additionally suspended its cooperation agreement with the city of Tel Aviv.
• Athens passed a city council motion supporting a permanent ceasefire and long-term settlement, while Ghent and other cities have adopted comparable resolutions.

By embedding ethical trade and human-rights criteria into procurement and council policy, municipalities are translating their values into enforceable action.

Symbolic gestures and civic solidarity

Many cities have used public spaces and local institutions to express unity and compassion.

• Ghent raised the peace flag back in 2023, calling for de-escalation and civilian protection, and, more recently the city council symbolically recognised the Palestinian state.
• Utrecht, The Hague, and Rotterdam lowered flags to half-mast, while Utrecht additionally convened interfaith dialogues to promote understanding among communities.
• Rome displayed the Palestinian flag at the Campidoglio in September 2025 following a municipal vote; and Lyon raised the flag on the facade of its city hall.
• Barcelona hung two banners of solidarity on its city hall during the la Mercè festival. The mayor also visited the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in Jordan.
• In Nantes, the city allowed a large painted Palestinian flag on a main public staircase to remain in place as a gesture of solidarity, despite political debate.
• Sant Boi de Llobregat focussed its annual ‘Barrejant’ event, which is a local gathering to promote solidarity, on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

These symbolic actions reinforce messages of coexistence and empathy, while encouraging residents to engage with humanitarian efforts.

Mayoral leadership and advocacy

Local leaders across Europe are using their public roles to champion humanitarian priorities.

• The Mayor of London urged the UK government to take stronger action to protect civilians and facilitate aid access; meanwhile, the mayor of Barcelona condemned the interception and detention of participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla.
• In Florence, the mayor amplified public appeals for ceasefire and humanitarian corridors, while in Naples the mayor pressed the Italian government to take further action
• In Genoa, the mayor publicly joined a torchlight procession that was organised by civil-society groups.
• In Lyon, the mayor publicly condemned the use of military operations that violate international law and called for an immediate ceasefire.
• The mayors of five German Cities (Hannover, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Kiel and Bonn) offered to take in and provide medical treatment for seriously ill or traumatised children from Gaza and Israel, by sending a letter to the German government so that it can arrange the organisational and financial support that would be necessary.

Local leadership, global values

From northern capitals to Mediterranean hubs, cities are proving that local leadership can uphold shared values, protect human dignity, and help ensure that humanitarian principles are more than words on paper. Through procurement rules, budget allocations, symbolic gestures, and community engagement, municipalities are turning solidarity into structure – ensuring that compassion is not only expressed, but implemented.

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Other city actions, including medical care and food assistance, were previously shared here.