The UK will double its humanitarian aid to Gaza with a further £30 million (EUR34.5 million) for Palestinian civilians affected by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, foreign minister David Cameron said Friday.
Cameron met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday and is due to hold discussions with Palestinian officials on Friday, for talks on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, his office said.
“I can announce new £30 million of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions,” Cameron said in a statement.
“It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes.”
London has already released two tranches of aid: £10 million and £20 million last month.
Cameron will also discuss supporting the Palestinian Authority, “including through training and capacity building” and look towards a long-term political solution to the crisis.
His meetings come after the start of a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war, with hostages set to be released in exchange for prisoners in the first major reprieve in seven weeks of war that have claimed thousands of lives.
The two sides had agreed to silence guns and stop bombings from 7:00 am (0500 GMT) in a conflict that erupted after Hamas’s murderous raids into Israel on October 7, which Israel says killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 240 people hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory air, artillery and naval strikes alongside a ground offensive have killed about 15,000 people, according to the Hamas government in Gaza.
As part of the truce agreement, 13 women and children held hostage in Gaza are due to be freed at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT), followed by a number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, according to Qatari mediators.
Over the four days, at least 50 hostages are expected to be released, and in exchange, 150 Palestinians prisoners are expected to be released.
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