In a concerted effort to alleviate the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, the United Kingdom has dispatched a substantial amount of aid, comprising essential supplies and medical assistance. Around 150 tonnes of UK aid, including over 13,000 blankets and 840 family-sized tents, arrived in Gaza on Wednesday. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will oversee the distribution of these supplies to those most in need, offering crucial relief amidst the ongoing crisis.
Additionally, a fully equipped field hospital, funded by UK Aid and managed by UK-Med, is en route to Gaza, scheduled to arrive this week. The facility, which departed from Manchester on 5 March, boasts the capability to be operational within 48 hours, with a capacity to treat over 100 patients daily. Staffed by both local health workers and international medics, including personnel from the UK-Med Register, the hospital will play a pivotal role in addressing the pressing medical needs of Gaza’s population.
The UK’s largest aid delivery, combined with a new UK funded field hospital, will save lives.
However too many people in Gaza are suffering. We need an immediate pause in the fighting. It is the only way to get aid into Gaza in the quantities desperately needed. pic.twitter.com/4whRmuKp4B
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) March 13, 2024
Foreign Secretary David Cameron announced an additional £10 million in aid funding for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), bringing the total expenditure to over £100 million this financial year. This funding will bolster the efforts of UN agencies on the ground, facilitating the delivery of life-saving aid and providing core relief items, such as tents, to the most vulnerable individuals in Gaza.
Expressing concern for the suffering endured by the people of Gaza, Foreign Secretary David Cameron emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that no one should be deprived of basic amenities like shelter and bedding. He underscored the significance of the aid delivery and the new field hospital in saving lives amidst the crisis. Cameron called for an immediate cessation of hostilities to facilitate the safe passage of aid into Gaza and urged for efforts towards a sustainable ceasefire to prevent further destruction and loss of life.
