https://arab.news/wx45d
- Conversation with Cameron comes after first UK maritime shipment of aid for Gaza arrived in Egypt this week
- Shipment was carrying nearly 90 tons of thermal blankets and other items, according to UK government
LONDON: UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Wednesday “more must be done to get humanitarian aid into Gaza” and that Israel “must allow significantly more supplies in to reduce the risk of hunger and disease.”
“The UK also wants to see the immediate release of hostages and progress toward a sustainable cease-fire,” the former British leader added, noting he had discussed the issues with new Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
Katz took up the post on Tuesday, just as fears mount that Israel’s war in Gaza, which it has waged for almost three months, could spiral across the Middle East.
The conversation with Cameron comes after the first UK maritime shipment of aid for Gaza arrived in Egypt this week, carrying nearly 90 tons of thermal blankets and other essential items, according to the British government.
The shipment, which contained over 10,000 thermal blankets, nearly 5,000 shelter packs and medical supplies, was delivered from Cyprus by a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship, London said on Tuesday.
It is set to be transferred to the Rafah crossing by the Egyptian Red Crescent and be distributed in Gaza by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), it added.
Cameron — who made a surprise return to frontline UK politics in November, after stepping down as prime minister in the aftermath of losing the 2016 Brexit referendum — visited the region last month.
Among other talks, he discussed with his Egyptian counterpart Israel’s war in Gaza as well as the volatile situation in the Red Sea.