Written Statement
24 July 2006
The Humanitarian Situation in Gaza and Lebanon
The Secretary of State for
International Development (Mr. Hilary Benn):
I am deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in the Lebanon and in
the Gaza Strip.
In Lebanon, the crisis has led the UN to estimate that at least 500,000
people have been displaced. Insecurity and damaged infrastructure is making it
difficult to reach those in need of medical care, food and water supplies. The
supply of electricity has stopped to most villages and towns in southern
Lebanon. Stocks of fuel will be exhausted in two weeks. Factories producing
medicines, milk, wood, and housing supplies have been destroyed. It is clear
from aid agencies that they need immediate and safe access to the displaced and
the wounded and those requiring humanitarian assistance. I support the proposals
by the UN and ICRC for safe humanitarian access, but ultimately the security
situation needs to stabilise in order to ensure that vital assistance can get
where it is needed.
We have responded to international appeals for humanitarian aid. Following
the initial response I announced last week, I am today committing a further £2.2
million to support humanitarian relief, including for the UN flash appeal, which
has been launched today. The UN Central Emergency Response Fund is also
providing an initial contribution of $5 million (of which the UK share is $1.4
million [£770,000]). This brings the total UK commitment to £5 million, and we
stand ready to do more as needed. DFID is deploying two humanitarian advisers to
the region. Two stabilisation and recovery advisers will join them shortly. The
Post Conflict Reconstruction Unit is helping cross-government planning for the
UK's contribution to stabilisation and recovery, immediately hostilities cease.
The situation in Gaza is also very difficult. Following the Israeli attack on
Gaza’s only power station, electricity is limited to supplies received from
Israel. Households receive six to eight hours’ electricity per day. Electricity
is vital for hospitals and clinics, which need constant supplies of power to run
medical equipment and keep drugs at constant temperatures. It is needed to pump
fresh water to houses and to treat sewage. It is essential for the safe storage
of food and for processing flour to make bread. Most households in Gaza are
receiving two hours of water per day. This means they do not have reliable
access to water for drinking, personal hygiene and washing clothes. According to
the World Health Organisation, cases for diarrhoea amongst refugee children in
Gaza in early July were 50% higher than the same period last year. Humanitarian
supplies are vital. The Rafah crossing was opened temporarily on 18 July to
allow those stranded at the crossing in desperate conditions to enter, and the
Karni crossing was temporarily open for humanitarian and commercial imports. But
both are now closed again. Action is needed to ensure unrestricted humanitarian
access, including the supply of medical equipment, fuel, food and electricity.
The UK made a contribution of £15 million to the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA) in April, which provides basic services for Palestinian
Refugees in Gaza, Lebanon, and elsewhere in the Middle East. This is helping
UNRWA provide healthcare and other basic services to Palestinian refugees, which
comprise 70% of Gaza’s population. The EU collectively provides over half of
UNRWA’s funding, and the UK last year was the third largest bilateral donor.
The European Union has established a Temporary International Mechanism to
support the basic needs of the Palestinian people. The mechanism will provide
support to health, education and social affairs, help to pay for utilities and
assist the very poorest Palestinians. The UK stands ready to allocate up to £12
million to the mechanism, plus our share of the European Community contribution,
giving a total of up to £25 million. The mechanism has already enabled
much-needed fuel supplies for emergency generators after Gaza’s only power
station was damaged by military action. These fuel deliveries are keeping
hospitals open, water pumps going and waste treatment plants open. The mechanism
will soon start making payments to health workers in both Gaza and the West Bank
to ensure they can continue to provide essential medical care. We welcome the
decision of G8 leaders to immediately expand the mechanism to provide wider
assistance to the people of Gaza, we are working closely with the Quartet and
others to ensure that this happens.
The UK is also providing assistance to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to enable it to monitor closely the
humanitarian situation in Gaza to assist donors and others to make sure help
gets to those who need it most.
It is particularly important for the humanitarian welfare of innocent
civilians in Lebanon, Israel, and Gaza that there is an end to the violence on
all sides. The UK Government supports efforts to put in place a durable
ceasefire.
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