Providing humanitarian support for civilians affected by the current conflict was the focus of the Minister for the Middle EastÂ’s, Hamish Falconer, who paid the first official visit to the region this Week, a Foreign Office statement announced on Wednesday.
Announcing a new package of support to assist civilians medically evacuated from Gaza to Egypt, the Minister pledged sterling pound one million of UK assistance to the Egyptian Ministry of Health that will support medically evacuated civilians from Gaza who are receiving care in Egypt.
Delivered through the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Egypt, the funding will provide vital medical supplies and medications, including chemotherapy and rehabilitative equipment, to those in need. It will also strengthen capacity to care for patients from Gaza with chronic diseases.
Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said: “As a key regional partner, Egypt plays a central role alongside the UK in working for stability and security across the Middle East and
driving forward de-escalation efforts in both Gaza and Lebanon.
“The worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to bring devastation to many lives, with many requiring life-saving support over the border in Egypt. ThatÂ’s why, alongside our Egyptian partners, we are funding life-saving treatments and support for medically evacuated civilians from Gaza. “At Al Arish, I saw that many tonnes of lifesaving aid continue to be denied entry into Gaza by Israel. As winter approaches, Israel can and must do more to ensure aid flows freely into Gaza and to facilitate the UN and humanitarian agencies to carry out their work safely.
“I signed a new UK-Egypt Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable food security, launching a new partnership between our two countries to tackle a critical global challenge.” The announcement came during the MinisterÂ’s visit to Al-Arish, where he met with the North Sinai Governor to discuss aid flows into Gaza. Here, the Minister visited the Egyptian Red CrescentÂ’s warehouse and
Al-Arish General Hospital to see how UK funding to WHO Egypt will be used.
Source: Kuwait News Agency
