Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron has stepped up his call for Israel to let more aid into Gaza as the UK provided food for 275,000 people in the territory.
Amid warnings of an imminent famine in the war-torn Gaza Strip, more than 2,000 tonnes of food aid funded by the UK crossed the border and was being distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP).
But Lord Cameron said “sustained humanitarian access” to Gaza’s beleaguered population was needed.
A report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a partnership of more than a dozen governments, UN aid and other agencies that determines the severity of food crises, has warned that “famine is imminent”.
Lord Cameron said: “It’s crucial that we keep the flow of aid moving into Gaza to end the suffering, and that’s why this latest delivery of aid by WFP is so vitally important.
“The IPC’s report warns of imminent famine. We need sustained humanitarian access by road to get more aid in.
“We continue to push Israel to allow more crossings to open and for longer, and for healthcare, water and sanitation to be restored.”
Famine – even in northern #Gaza – could still be averted. We need:
🔴 An immediate stop to the fighting 🔴 Full access for aid organizations to reach the entire civilian population
A declaration of #famine means it’s too late. We must act now to save thousands of lives.
— World Food Programme (@WFP) March 19, 2024
The Foreign Secretary wants Israel to increase capacity to safely distribute aid within Gaza, including by opening a land crossing in the north and issuing more visas to UN staff to deliver supplies.
The latest delivery was facilitated by Jordan, which has played a key role in supporting the UK’s humanitarian response to the crisis.
The delivery of UK-funded aid includes fortified wheat flour for use in bakeries and food parcels which will be used to feed more than 275,000 people in Gaza.
Each food parcel is designed for a family of five and consists of canned vegetables, meat and fish, and date bars.
The parcel can meet half of the daily calorie needs of the family for 15 days.
