Press release
4 August 2014
Extra £2 million in UK aid for the displaced of Gaza
New support to UN Relief and Works Agency will help nearly 8,000 families.
With more than a quarter of the entire population of Gaza now displaced, International Development Secretary Justine Greening has announced fresh support for those forced to flee their homes by the conflict.
The UK will provide an additional £2 million in emergency assistance for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) Gaza Flash Appeal. The new funding will help to provide mattresses, blankets, nappies, cooking equipment and other essential supplies for nearly 8,000 families. This brings to £15 million the total funding released in the last 2 weeks in response to the latest crisis in Gaza.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:
The UK is responding to the immediate needs of the people of Gaza whose everyday life is now intolerable. Most are without reliable sources of water and power, and thousands are crammed into buildings designed to house just a few hundred.
UK aid is getting water, food and shelter to families who are suffering and getting hospitals back up and running so they can treat the injured.
Even so, however vital the food, water and shelter is that we are providing, ultimately we need an immediate and unconditional ceasefire which is respected by all sides. Only when the fighting stops can people begin to address some of the underlying causes of this conflict.
Nearly half a million Palestinians have had their homes destroyed or been forced to flee in order to escape the fighting. UK aid is providing hundreds of thousands of people with the basic essentials that they need to survive the weeks and months ahead.
The UK government has released a total of £15 million of aid in support for Gaza. This includes:
- a total of £6 million for the UNRWA’s Flash Appeal to pay for basics such as shelter and cooking equipment;
- £3 million to the World Food Programme to provide emergency food for more than 300,000 people for one month;
- £3 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide emergency health care and clean water; and
- £3 million, which has been made available for clean water, emergency health care and protection of civilians through the Rapid Response Facility, which was activated on Saturday 2 August.
Notes to editors
1. The £2 million announced today will go to the UNRWA Flash Appeal. UNRWA is now sheltering more than 270,000 people, with an average of 3,000 people in shelters designed to cope with 500. Overcrowding and the risk of epidemics are serious concerns. It is delivering vital aid in difficult and dangerous circumstances.
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Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: United Kingdom
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Ceasefire, Gaza Strip, Health, Humanitarian relief, Internally displaced persons, Living conditions, Population, Poverty, Shelter, Water
Publication Date: 04/08/2014