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UK foreign secretary David Cameron warned Israel that Palestinians in Gaza are on the brink of famine as a Royal Navy ship was deployed to help supply “life-saving aid” to the strip.
“The situation in Gaza is dire and the prospect of famine is real,” Mr Cameron said in a statement.
The UK government announced on Saturday its support to set up a maritime aid corridor to Gaza, including sending a Royal Navy ship to “join the life-saving mission in the Eastern Mediterranean” alongside £9.7m in funding.
The ship would help set up an international humanitarian maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza, assisted by the UN and expected to be operational in “early May” according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office.
“We remain committed to getting aid to those who so desperately need it. Along with the US, Cyprus and other partners, we are setting up a new temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to get aid in as quickly and securely as possible,” Mr Cameron said.
In a new statement, the Israeli Defense Forces claim to have hit 32,000 aerial targets in Gaza, killing more than 12,000 “combatants” in the strip.
The UK foreign secretary issued a warning over Israel’s compliance with international law after the killings of three British aid workers in an air strike by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
British aid workers John Chapman, 57, James “Jim” Henderson, 33, and James Kirby, 47, who were employed by the charity World Central Kitchen (WCK), died in air strikes carried out by the IDF on 1 April.
Mr Cameon said there was no doubt “where the blame lies,” warning Israel that “this must never happen again.”
Following the attack on aid workers, several agencies have since suspended operations in Gaza, further increasing the risk of starvation for the region’s residents.
The UK government called for an “urgent reform” of deconfliction and assurances that guarantee the safety and security of humanitarian aid workers in Gaza.
The UN estimates that 2.7 million people across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) need humanitarian assistance, including everyone in Gaza.
“Land access remains crucial to deliver aid at the scale now required. The opening of Erez and the Port of Ashdod is hugely welcome and something the UK has long been calling for,” Mr Cameron said.
“But we need to continue to explore all options, including by sea and air, to ease the desperate plight of some of the world’s most vulnerable people,” the foreign secretary added.
Along with aid delivery, the UK said it is also sending logistical and equipment support to the corridor, including forklift trucks and storage units as well as expertise to maximise the levels of aid reaching the people who desperately need it.
The aid corridor initiative hopes to see tens of thousands of tonnes of aid pre-screened in Cyprus, and delivered directly to Gaza, via a temporary US pier that is being constructed off the coast or via Ashdod Port.
“The Armed Forces are playing a central role in delivering aid, with the Royal Air Force recently completing five airdrops of food supplies for the people of Gaza,” Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.
“We are now going further, working with international partners to set up a humanitarian maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza,” Mr Shapps added.
