The UK has pledged a further £19 million in funding for Gaza, as a minister described the humanitarian situation following the ongoing Israeli onslaught of the region as “catastrophic.”
International development minister Anneliese Dodds will travel to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel as part of a three-day trip that starts with a humanitarian conference in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Monday.
The latest funding will take the UK’s total commitment for Gaza to £99 million, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said, and includes £12 million for the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Programme.
Dodds is expected to meet Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and visit a refugee camp in the West Bank as part of her trip, before heading to Israel where she will hold meetings with officials and call on them to ensure aid can reach Gaza.
‘Catastrophic’
Dodds said: “The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Gazans are in desperate need of food and shelter with the onset of winter.“The Cairo conference will be an opportunity to get leading voices in one room and put forward real-world solutions to the humanitarian crisis.
“The UK is committed to supporting the region’s most vulnerable communities, pledging additional funding for UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) and to supporting the Palestinian Authority reforms.
Protests Continue
The announcement of the funding comes after another weekend where huge numbers of pro-Palestinain protesters took to the streets in London to call for a ceasefire.Some Christmas shoppers appeared bemused as the streets around Piccadilly Circus in central London were flooded with demonstrators who oppose Israel’s action, while counter-protesters from Stop the Hate gathered nearby to urge the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) marchers to “stop supporting terror.”
Some members of the rival groups hurled abuse at each other as they met at Coventry Street, but were kept apart by metal barriers and a line of police officers.
The Metropolitan Police have warned repeatedly that expressing support for Hamas or for Lebanese militants Hezbollah is a criminal offence, because both are proscribed terror organisations.
Offences include chanting slogans, wearing clothing and displaying articles such as flags, signs or logos that express support for either of those groups.
The Met posted on X later on Saturday afternoon that the PSC march had “passed the Stop The Hate counter-protest without incident.”
Lebanon Ceasefire Ongoing
Last week saw the announcement of a 60-day truce between Israel and Iran-backed militants Hezbollah to suspend hostilities, with both sides withdrawing from southern Lebanon.Last week, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister, and Hamas’s military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.
The UK would respect the process set out under domestic legislation when it comes to the arrest warrant, Downing Street said in response to requests from the media to clarify the government’s position on Netanyahu.
