A full field hospital funded by the UK will arrive in Gaza this week, following 150 tonnes of aid.
The aid – including 840 family-sized tents, 13,000 blankets and hygiene supplies – enters Gaza today.
The field hospital left Manchester on 5 March and is en route to the Middle East.
It can be adapted according to the needs on the ground and includes a pharmacy, triage area, major injuries and resuscitation unit, and maternity care tent.
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The field hospital, provided by UK Aid funding to the medical non-governmental organisation, UK-Med, can be set up in as little as 48 hours once it arrives.
It will be capable of treating more than 100 patients a day.
International medics, including many from the UK, will help staff the hospital, alongside local health workers.
As well as the latest aid deliveries, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has announced £10m in further aid for the occupied Palestinian territories, bringing the total spend to over £100m this financial year.
Lord Cameron said: “Too many people in Gaza are suffering.
“Our largest aid delivery, combined with a new UK-funded field hospital, will save lives.”
An estimated 3.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in occupied Palestinian territories, the UK government says, with over half a million at risk from famine.
Pic: Reuters
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It comes after Lord Cameron urged Israel to open one of its ports to allow aid arriving by sea to get through to Gaza.
He also called for more visas to be issued to UN workers to ensure humanitarian assistance could be distributed.
Speaking in the House of Lords this week, Lord Cameron said: “We are doing all we can to increase aid into Gaza.
“We have been collaborating with Jordan on humanitarian aid drops and are now working with partners to operationalise a maritime aid corridor from Cyprus.
“However, this cannot substitute delivery by land which remains the best way to get aid in at the scale that is needed.”
He added: “Israel must remove restrictions on aid and restore electricity, water and telecommunications.”
On Tuesday, an aid ship carrying almost 200 tonnes of food for Gaza finally left Cyprus after a delay.
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Gaza aid boat sets sail
The charity ship Open Arms, a rescue vessel owned by a Spanish non-governmental organisation (NGO), was seen sailing out of Larnaca port in Cyprus, towing a barge containing flour, rice and protein.
The journey spans more than 200 miles and could take the heavy ship up to two days to complete.
The US military said one of its vessels was also en route to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea.
The UN estimates that 25% of the population of Gaza is at risk of starvation.
It has accused Israel of blocking aid to the territory, and has previously described aid access into Gaza as “unpredictable and insufficient”.
The UN has blamed a mixture of military operations, insecurity, and extensive restrictions to the delivery of essential supplies since Hamas’s deadly cross-border attack on 7 October – which sparked a military response by Israel.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.
An Israeli government spokesperson previously insisted to Sky News there were “no limits on the amount of aid that can go into Gaza”.
Wow, the UK is really stepping up to the plate and helping the people of Gaza. I’m sure this aid will make a huge difference in their lives.
I’m skeptical that this aid will actually reach the people who need it. The Hamas government is known for its corruption.
Oh, how kind of the UK to send aid to Gaza. I’m sure the people of Gaza will be so grateful for our help. After all, we have been such good friends to them in the past.
I’m concerned that this aid will not reach the people who need it most. The Hamas government is corrupt and they will likely use this aid to line their own pockets.
This is too little, too late. The UK should be doing more to help the people of Gaza. They are suffering and we are not doing enough to help them.
The UK is sending a full field hospital to Gaza? That’s like sending a fire truck to a house that’s already burned down.
This is a good step, but it’s not enough. The UK needs to do more to help the people of Gaza. They need to provide more aid and they need to work towards a long-term solution to the conflict.
Oh, look at the UK, pretending to care about the people of Gaza. They’re just trying to save face after all the damage they’ve done.
The UK should not be sending aid to Gaza. The people of Gaza are terrorists and they do not deserve our help. We should be sending our aid to countries that are more deserving.
I hope that this aid will make a difference in the lives of the people of Gaza. They have been through so much and they deserve our help.
This is a great step towards helping the people of Gaza. I hope that this aid will make a real difference in their lives.
The UK has a long history of providing aid to Gaza. In 2014, the UK provided £100 million in aid to Gaza. This aid has been used to provide food, water, shelter, and医疗 services to the people of Gaza.