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 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.
British naval vessel RFA Lyme Bay has delivered 87 tonnes of aid for the people of Gaza. The delivery arrived at Port Said in Egypt and includes over 10,000 thermal blankets, nearly 5,000 shelter packs and medical supplies to be transferred to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/0FSaXHmooQ
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) January 2, 2024
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 UNRWA.
According to a Ministry of Defence news release:
“It follows a 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 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/OPTs and supporting United Nations World Food Programme through the humanitarian land corridor from Jordan through Kerem Shalom.”
Foreign Secretary David Cameron said:
“The UK is committed to supporting the people of Gaza. We have already trebled our aid commitment to Palestinians this year and today’s aid delivery – the first UK maritime shipment of aid for Gaza – via Port Said in Egypt contains almost 90 tonnes of vital supplies.
Significantly more aid needs to reach Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The UK will continue to work with our partners in the region to open more aid routes into Gaza, including through the proposed maritime corridor between Cyprus and Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said:
“I recently visited the region to find the best way to get aid into Gaza and support those in desperate need. Today’s maritime aid delivery, the first of its kind, is a significant milestone.
RFA Lyme Bay has docked in Egypt with almost 90 tonnes of aid bound for civilians in Gaza. This includes shelters for winter, medical supplies and thermal blankets – all pre-screened in Cyprus. By testing new maritime routes, the UK is paving the way for other international donors to increase and accelerate aid deliveries.”
This is ridiculous. Hamas will help itself to what it wants and only then will any aid, if any, reach innocent civilians Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind – all aid should be held in abeyance until Hamas is defeated
Hamas are the Gazan people, they are one and the same. The elected Hamas, let the terrorist operate freely and support them on a daily basis.
The Gazan people’s political opinions are irrelevant. They are human beings and have the same rights as you do. Only if they have directly enabled terrorism should they be treated differently and even then we have a duty to ensure that their rights are met.
Sinking to Hamas’ level would destroy any credibility we have with the neutral world.
Hamas and its leadership are evil. That was never in question and it is clear that the status quo cannot and will not continue. My issue was with your continued implication that human rights are conditional on whether we agree with people or not. The right to life is inviolable, whatever many of the countries in the region believe. “Their human rights are forfeited” is one of the most chilling statements I have ever seen uttered on this site. I hope George leaves you up there and no one reports you because it should stand as an example of the… Read more »
I’m certainly not alone in holding those opinions. The people at Nuremberg held them too. Hamas, Hezbollah and numerous other islamic groups are intent on committing genocide!!!!! Surely you can appreciate that and have an inking how it must feel to be an Israeli Jew. Do not forget, this is not a new phenomenon, it’s been going on for 70 years in Israel and thousands of years in Europe. Israeli forces are not disregarding civilian casualties, far from it. They issue warnings before attacking, which is in my mind stupid but there it is. I say again, their enemies are… Read more »
But here’s the thing. On 7th October 2023, after returning from Israel with their human prizes, that were then paraded and dragged behind vehicles through the streets of Gaza etc. Thousands of people came to those streets to cheer on and assist with what Hamas were doing. There was no video footage of Gazans stepping up to prevent the degeneration or mutilation of captured Israelis and foreigners living or dead. As a very large proportion of the population were involved in these heinous acts. How do you tell these people apart from the ones who stayed in doors? The Gazans… Read more »
Very well said.
I’m not suggesting they get treated the same, that would be ridiculous.
However, they still have the right to basic facilities, as the individual Palestinian, whatever the crimes of the majority, is innocent until proven guilty.
George suggested on a now-removed comment that the Gazan population had “forfeited their human rights”, which is a self-defeating suggestion.
I will tell you a dit, that is very personal to me. It triggers incredibly bad memories and I still suffer from nightmares to this day. I apologize upfront for the graphic descriptions and profanities that I may use. On my last tour of Afghan, I was a platoon leader embedded with the Canadians working out of Khandahar city. We were a team of eight. I’ll say no more of why or what we were specifically doing. If you were in the mob, you can work it out. A lot of the work involved visiting villages within 20km of the… Read more »
Oh DB, genuinely, thanks for sharing that. I understand your position much more now, and I respect it. I also suspect similar stories are behind many others’ positions. My issue is my suspicion that many Gazans are like the villages you describe. When Hamas’ are passing through, they cheer dutifully and pay their “dues”, just to get through to the next day, week, year. I have no doubt when Israel take control there will be nearly as many cheering for them. Loyalty is only ever to the people who can help you. Asking for Gazans to complain about Hamas’ is… Read more »
Thank you for sharing.
I can very well understand why the Gaza situation is triggering.
You don’t need me to say this but there is no blame in trying to help as best as we know how.
But there is the saying that no good deed goes unpunished.
That was a hard read Davey but thanks also for sharing. Utterly disgusting and degenerate behaviour towards the weaker and unprotected. Hope these sort of persons, if that’s what they are, meet a very painful end. Pure evil.
Some gazans celebrated not all.
I think they gave up the right to my tax money when they cheered at baby’s being murdered by Hamas scum
Definitely….. I don’t remember us is being overly worried about they few “good” Germans whilst flying over Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin etc. Neither have I seen any news articles of protests, demonstrations, marches etc conducted by “innocent” Gazans to free the hostages / stop killing them……
Every year on Passover, when Jews celebrate their end of their slavery in Egypt, the custom is to spill wine from the glass for each of the ten plagues to remember the good Egyptians who were killed by a plague they didn’t deserve. Israel does not cause collateral damage lightly. That was 3000 years ago and those Egyptians are still remembered.
Palestinians turn the discourse away from the atrocities they commit the very next day. Let them stand up and say we did wrong, rather than we will do it again.
That’s my take too. I’m not sure the government debated the morality of delivering aide or more accurately how it was delivered before they acted. I think this is a massive failing in British politics and reflects very badly on this shit show conservative government.
Are there any operational reasons for not sending via commercial transport or was it just done for the photo op?
Thats a good point, seeing as of the 24th of Nov 2023 the RAF had flown in 74 tonnes of aid, I quote from the RAF website: RAF C-17 Globemaster delivers more vital aid to support civilians in Gaza “”The RAF has delivered a total of 74 tonnes of essential aid supplies for Gaza, including wound care packs, water purification pumps, solar lanterns and support equipment for the Egyptian Red Crescent.”” The problem there is, those flights then flew onto Israel in which to pick up people and stuff, this in turn has been picked up by the tin foil… Read more »
What a waste of good aid. We have our old folk using food banks and choosing either to eat or heat their homes in winter. While many of our veterans community are living on the streets. The government should be ashamed giving aid to terrorists.
All true. We can’t look after our elderly or disabled correctly but can deliver aid via a naval vessel to people that support a terrorist group and caused the war they are now regretting starting.
Cheers Mr Bell. Charity begins at home and for a country that is cutting back on military spending. Giving material away to terrorists and their supporting population is ludicrous. We should not loose sight of the fact that Hamas and the Houthis, are puppet organisations with Iran and Hezbollah pulling their strings. Those strings in turn are being pulled by both the ChiComs and Russia. There are several agendas at play. Therefore I’m ever so slightly inclined to believe, Hamas were rushed into this by their Ayatollah masters. Not that Hamas pathological murderers would ever turn down half a chance… Read more »
Jeez wouldn’t want to meet you on a dark night while carrying a takeaway.
Your point is ….
“This includes shelters for winter, medical supplies and thermal blankets…”
I wonder if a certain Baroness was tapped to supply them?
Crabfat wrote:
You mean that one currently doing her best Kenneth Williams impression:
“Infamy, infamy, they’ve all got it in for me!”
Meanwhile, in the north, I thought I read somewhere (here?) that there are British forces in Lebanon? Jeeze, if something goes off there I hope they don’t get trapped in any crossfire.
I’m no international expert but I think 🇬🇧 is showing some deft “soft power” humanitarian aid here for Gaza, the UN, and itself. Helping to hopefully tone down or channel any anti Western/ Israeli bias by showing some bipartisan assistance here.
If they are, someone should call them out on it. Our priority should be assisting a fellow democracy, (Israel) to defeat our mutual terrorist enemies.
By all means keep supporting Israel, but at the same time, humanitarian support where it’s needed, for hearts and minds of the locals, demonstrating some fundamental Westen/UN values and maybe a bit intelligence gathering on the side?
I can live with that, grudgingly.
Israel should be providing the aid for Gaza: they are the ones bombing people out of their houses for no good reason. By providing aid, the UK has become the ‘useful idiots’ of them and Hamas.
Suella Braverman would say that being a refugee is a ‘lifestyle choice’ if she was foreign secretary.
She probably will be next week, when the current one gets bored with the job after a couple of months in it. Who was it again? 🤔
“For no good reason.” Where were you on the 7th of October, need I remind you of the atrocities committed by Hamas with the full joyful support of the Gazan population.
I’m sure the IDF now have exacted sufficient revenge for 7/10, when they failed to adequately man their defensive positions along the Gaza border. Such obstacles as flimsy border fences separating you from a couple of million people bent upon your destruction as a nation and a people are not obstacles unless they are covered by fire and observation, constantly patrolled and with reserve forces and fire support on immediate readiness. Minimum manning and happy thoughts won’t keep out the bad guys, any more than the Bar-Lev line and lack of defense on the Golan Heights did in 1973. The… Read more »
You seem to be arguing that if somebody breaks into my house, kills and rapes everyone, chops them up etc….It was all my fault for not putting a better lock on the door…..interesting outlook……
Pretty much yes, if one lives in a dodgy neighbourhood. Security starts at home as a personal responsibility: one can’t rely on an overstretched police service to prevent crime. The Americans believe in defending their homes by arms. The Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentina in 1982 because of the UK Government announced they would withdraw naval assets from the region. Ukraine was invaded by Russia because they were persuaded to give up their independent nuclear deterrent, leaving her defenseless against a large scale attack by conventional forces. Similarly, Europe will suffer Russian domination if we slack off any more… Read more »
Israel declared a war. The cause was stated: Hamas’s attack on Israel in October. Israel’s objectives are declared: the destruction of Hamas. You can claim it’s Palestinian genocide if you like, but you are talking out of your elbow. All the evidence points directly away from that.
As for apologising for Hamas atrocities because they shamelessly post videos, your attitude bewilders me.
It is genocide: the Israelis haven’t got the cojones to admit it, unlike the bad guys. The only way the IDF can root out Hamas is by enacting the final solution of “creating a wasteland and calling it peace.” Which we can see they are doing very efficiently, having Selected and Maintained their Aim according to the Principles of War. Whether you support or hate the people Israel is inflicting retribution upon is beside the point. Like I have said, if I was an American, I would support their long-term allies: the IDF have always been good for operationally testing… Read more »
You can’t say with the support of the joyful citizens. There were gatherings of people supporting Gaza in the U.K. but that doesn’t mean the whole population of the U.K. feels that way. Same for some support government policies but never has the whole population agreed on anything
I can say that and do! The disgusting gatherings permitted in London are nothing to the rejoicing in Gaza. Anyone found not celebrating the death of Jews would be punished in ways you probably cannot imagine. When Hamas were elected to power in Gaza, they held it with an iron grip. Over the years all truly dissenting residents have been purged. They either fled or submitted to the Hamas scum.
No good reason? These people are all the same, the aid we should be supplying is to Israel and has a diameter of 155mm.
We’ll need all the ammo we can produce and stockpile for our own armed forces in order to prevent the Russians from invading Europe, after the end of the war in Ukraine. Charity starts at home in this case, mate.
We live on an island, there are 300+ million people in the EU, they can pay for it themselves (ie follow the Polish example)….Unless the Russians have gotten past the Force de frappe, it is not our problem….
I completely agree but would add cluster bombs and napalm.
JB wrote: “”Israel should be providing the aid for Gaza: they are the ones bombing people out of their houses for no good reason.”” The deal Sharon signed with the PLA in which to end the Second Intifada in 2005 was for Israel to pull out 100% from Gaza and the West Bank , release prisoners in return for peace. Israel pulled out of Gaza as per the agreement and started the motion to do likewise with the WB, problem is Hamas took control of Gaza and launched a attack on Israel first with a missile attack and then a… Read more »
It’s really the Arab neighbours that support Hamas that should be providing the aid and helping the most. Those countries should be evacuating, taking in refugees etc.
Israel is hurting so it’s unlikely to be in much of a giving mood.
Really this all falls on Hamas who should have the balls to say we will stand and fight here and remove all civilians from the area. When they attacked they knew what the response would be.
Non supporters of Hamas military policies unfortunately are caught. No easy way out of Gaza
Are the neighbouring countries supporting Hamas? The reason they won’t open their borders is they don’t want to import Hamas supporting refugees into their country with all the problems they would bring!
Very true, Jordon tried and got an insurrection, Lebanon tried and got a civil war. Not one of their neighbors wants them and it is not hard to see why.
Syria is in chaos and would be the perfect dumping ground for the surviving terrorist supporters from Gaza. (For those squatting on the west bank too.) I’m sure Israel could stretch to issuing each of them with a bottle of water, prayer mats and a satchel lunch Mars Bar. Along with a One Way bus ride to the Golan, before kicking them out and locking the door. The IDF are certainly in the mood to make it happen.
I’d like to be a fly on the wall in Amnesty International HQ when that happened.
You know just how serious it is when Gazza has to be re-suplied by the RN…… Great footballer though.
I hope I didn’t make that typo ho ho!
How much Aid is supplied by Iran or do they only supply the weapons
Zilch. The Iranians are trouble making cowards. They stir up trouble and do precisely nothing to actually help anyone.
The U.K. has a huge aid budget that it struggles to use and this kit is sitting about in warehouses so might aswell be used somewhere it’s needed. While some disagree and we can’t be sure all the aid will get to where it’s needed it is the right thing to help people in desperate need. The citizens of Gaza don’t all support Hamas and Hamas don’t allow free elections to be voted out. We have all seen the situation in Gaza and it’s a really tough call on what to do about it. Israel has a plan and hopefully… Read more »
Yes they do all support Hamas. Being brainwashed to hate Jews before they can walk. Those who did not support the terrorist group have been purged, read killed. The few intelligent Gazan squatters fled when Hamas seized power years ago. Gaza is a target rich environment, nothing more.
This does seem a bit bipolar. In that the UK has officially, governmentally supported Israel. Despite the millions of short sighted and ignorant fools protesting on behalf of Gazza in the UK. They are essentially supporting a terrorist group who started this war by killing over a thousand Israelis. Donating aid to Gazza is likely to mean that aid goes to Hammas first and very little will trickle down to the civilians in need. It would probably be better to deliver aid to Egypt and then let them transfer it across the border to the civilians population on the other… Read more »
Well said. Except after so long under the Hamas boot. I question if there are any innocent civilians remaining in Gaza. The intelligent people fled years ago. The others have been purged. All who remain enable Hamas in one way or another. It is now a target rich environment for the IDF. They should be encouraging collateral damage and scorching the earth.