France and Britain granted 19.7 million dollars (18 million euros) in emergency aid to the Palestinian Authority to help fund health and education services in the occupied West Bank, officials said according to AFP.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) faces “persistent challenges” due to the bombardment in Gaza, violence in the West Bank, and the Israeli government’s withholding of customs revenue, Palestinian Planning and International Cooperation Minister Wael Zaqout said.

“This financing is part of the emergency fund framework to guarantee the continuity of vital services in education and health”, he told a press conference in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

“France remains committed to help build a viable Palestinian state, able to exercise its sovereignty over all its territories, including Gaza,” France’s consul-general in Jerusalem, Nicolas Kassianides, said in a statement.

The funds would “address the most essential and urgent needs of the Palestinian people,” he added.

British Consul-General Diane Corner said that her country’s contribution aimed to “support the salaries of 8,200 doctors, nurses and other employees in the health sector”.

The financial help “comes at a critical time and advances mutual priorities”, said Stefan Emblad, World Bank director in the Palestinian territories.

He added that the aid came on top of a recent $30 million grant from the World Bank, also to the emergency fund.