Israel’s blockade of aid into Gaza after floods ‘shameful’ – minister

Rhiannon James, Press Association Parliamentary Editor

A Foreign Office minister has branded Israel’s blockade of aid into flood-hit Gaza as “shameful” as he announced a £5 million boost to Unicef’s winter response.

Stephen Doughty said tents and timber – used as shelter for those displaced – are being prevented from entering the area amid “appalling” conditions.

Heavy rain and strong winds have made an “intolerable humanitarian situation even worse for Palestinian civilians”, he told the Commons.

Three children and their mother were killed when a sand embankment collapsed on their tents, Mr Doughty said, as he told MPs the “reality on the ground is heartbreaking”.

In a statement on Thursday, he said: “According to the UN, over 150,000 tents and 300,000 tarpaulins that humanitarian partners and donors purchased are outside Gaza, ready to go in.

“Yet the Israeli authorities have prevented these items from entering.

“They also continue to block timber from entering, leaving no emergency shelter kits available in Gaza. This is shameful.

“The problem is therefore not simply whether the international community can provide help; it is whether that help can reach the people who need it.

“And I have a very simple and direct message to the Israeli authorities: Let the aid in.

“This is only the first storm of winter, there will be more, and the UN has said that new tents alone will not protect people from flooding.

“Gaza urgently needs machinery and tools for drainage and rubble removal, and this is unilaterally in the government of Israel’s control.

“As the occupying power, there are strict legal obligations that Israel must obey. We have repeatedly pressed them to prepare for winter and to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza in line with international law.”

Mr Doughty continued: “We are releasing a further £5 million from our bilateral budget to Unicef, focused on the winter response, including the impact of the flooding over this weekend.

“And overall UK support will make a tangible difference for the people of Gaza, aiming to provide winter clothing for 100,000 children, tarpaulins for 62,500 people, family tents for 1,250 households and blankets for 150,000 people.”