UK committed to alleviating suffering of people in Gaza, foreign secretary says

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL, Türkiye (AA) – Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Thursday said the UK is committed to alleviating the suffering of Palestinians, as he visited the town of Al Alrish, near the Egypt-Gaza border, to see the impact of UK aid being sent to the besieged enclave.

"At Al Arish, near the Egypt-Gaza border, I heard from our partners at the Egyptian Red Crescent about the difference UK aid is making to the people of Gaza," Cameron said on X.

"Egypt’s cooperation has been vital to facilitating humanitarian access to Gaza."

"In Cairo, I thanked President Sisi and Foreign Minister Shoukry for their partnership," he added.

Cameron, a former British prime minister, earlier on Thursday met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, after a visit to Jordan. He also addressed a press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry and reiterated his call for a “sustainable cease-fire.”

UK, according to the foreign office, is supporting delivery of humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza via Kerem Shalom crossing, with 750 tons of life-saving food aid arriving in the first delivery on Wednesday.

"The UK is committed to alleviating the suffering of people in Gaza. We have already trebled our aid commitment to Palestinians this year and the prime minister and I urged Israel at the highest levels to open Kerem Shalom in order to get significantly more aid into Gaza," Cameron said earlier.

"We need to use as many routes as possible to achieve this goal. We have supported Jordan to deliver a new humanitarian land corridor from Jordan into Gaza and continue to call for significantly more aid to be allowed into Gaza through Kerem Shalom."

The conflict between Israel and Hamas was triggered by the Palestinian group's cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

Israel has responded with air and ground attacks that have killed more than 20,000 people, mostly women and children, besides mass displacement and destruction.