UK reiterates call on Israel to lift 'appalling' blockade of aid delivery to Gaza
'Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people' says development minister
LONDON
The British development minister on Wednesday reiterated the UK's opposition against allowing just a basic amount of aid into Gaza, announcing new support for Palestinians.
The UK pledged 4 million pounds ($5.4 million) in humanitarian aid to Gaza, as Jenny Chapman visited Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said the aid will support organizations on the ground seeking to get food, water and medicine to those who need it.
Chapman said vulnerable Gazans "must urgently" be given full access to aid.
The visit came a day after Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced new sanctions targeting violent West Bank settlers, and paused free trade agreement negotiations with Israel.
"The lack of aid reaching ordinary Gazans is appalling. The Israeli government’s failure to allow full humanitarian access to aid workers is abhorrent," Chapman said. "Far too few trucks are crossing into Gaza. The UN has warned nearly half a million Palestinians, including children, are facing starvation."
"The UK is clear - Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people," she added.
The minister said "We need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a surge of aid, and a path towards long-term peace."
Chapman on Wednesday met Palestinian Justice Minister Sharhabeel al-Zaeem, and talked to representatives of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). She is due to meet the families of hostages held in Gaza on Thursday.
The Israeli army resumed its assault on the Gaza Strip on March 18, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January, and adding to the overall death toll since October 2023 of more than 53,000 people, most of them women and children.
Israel intensified its offensive in Gaza in recent days, expanding ground operations and carrying out massive airstrikes.�
Until Monday, Israel had also not allowed any food, aid, medicines or fuel to enter Gaza for more than two months.
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