- 87 tonnes of life-saving UK and Cypriot aid for the people of Gaza delivered by Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ship Lyme Bay to Egypt from Cyprus
- delivery includes over 10,000 thermal blankets, nearly 5,000 shelter packs and medical supplies to be transferred to Gaza through the Rafah crossing
- it follows the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Egypt last month to see first-hand the importance of UK aid for the people of Gaza and the Defence Secretary’s visit to Cyprus and Israel. Both have pressed for an acceleration, with significantly more aid to be allowed into Gaza, through as many routes as possible
The lifesaving shipment was delivered from Cyprus by Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Lyme Bay, carrying thermal blankets, shelter packs and medical supplies provided by the UK and the Republic of Cyprus. From Port Said, the aid will be received by the Egyptian Red Crescent and will make its way to Al Arish and then through Rafah and into Gaza for distribution by visit to Egypt from the Foreign Secretary to Al Arish last month (21 December) to meet with representatives from the Egyptian Red Crescent Society, who are coordinating the relief effort at the Rafah crossing, and the Defence Secretary’s visit to Cyprus and Israel on 7 December to push for accelerated aid deliveries into Gaza. The first UK maritime shipment of aid for Gaza has arrived in Egypt, carrying almost 90 tonnes of thermal blankets and other essential items. The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary have made clear that Israel must increase the flow of aid into Gaza and facilitate the delivery of relief on the ground, including through negotiated humanitarian pauses. The UK will continue to explore other routes for aid deliveries, including the Cypriot initiative for a maritime corridor between Cyprus and Israel/£30 million funding, announced by the Foreign Secretary on his last visit to the region, has been allocated to trusted partners on the ground including UNRWA, UNICEF, WFP, the OCHA Pooled Fund and the British Red Cross to support the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent Societies.
