Britain pressuring Israel to expand aid allowed into Gaza

UK Foreign Minister David Cameron meets separately with Netanyahu and Abbas.

Susan Tawil, World Israel News

David Cameron, British Foreign Secretary and former UK Prime Minister (2010-16), met Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to push for more humanitarian aid delivery to Gazans, whose situation he described as “desperate.”

Britain is working closely with Qatar to secure Israeli approval for increased aid to Gaza.

Since the war began, over 12,000 trucks carrying nearly 80,000 tons of aid have entered the Gaza Strip. This includes fuel, food, water, tents and bedding, diapers, and over 1,000 tons of medical equipment and medicine. Israel requires the aid trucks to be inspected, in order to prevent smuggling in of weapons to the terrorists.

Since December, Israel once again began allowing fuel delivery.

The Rafah crossing at the border with Egypt has been the main conduit for aid trucks since the October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists on Israel that has led to the current conflict.

Recently, Israel opened Kerem Shalom and Nitzana Crossings to allow additional access for the flow of aid to Gazans, though Israeli protesters have over the past five days blocked passage of aid trucks into Gaza.

Cameron has requested that Israel also open the port of Ashdod in southern Israel to facilitate delivery.

Israel has expressed concern with the delivery of aid materials to Gaza, noting Hamas’ seizure of incoming goods as well as the potential use of fuel for terrorist purposes.

This has led to protests by family members of hostages and their supporters, who have been blocking the humanitarian aid trucks for the past five days.

“No aid goes through until the last of the hostages returns,” said one protester on Thursday. “Don’t supply the enemy.”

Tzufit Liebman, sister-in-law of hostage Elyakim Liebman, said: “Hamas terrorists and the civilians…do not give any information about the hostages, (yet) receive convoys of trucks with food, equipment and medicine. This humanitarian aid is a moral failure.”

Cameron also met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on his Mideast junket. He assured Abbas that the UK was working to increase aid to the Palestinians in Gaza, pressing for a “sustainable ceasefire,” and planning for the establishment of a Palestinian state.