01 March 2009
Press Release
The UK government will give £30m to help rebuild damaged and destroyed homes, schools, and hospitals in Gaza, International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander announced today.
The money will support the first phase of rebuilding Gaza which is still devastated from the recent fighting. It will include the repair of essential infrastructure including water, sewage and electricity supplies. Six weeks after the conflict ended, many people are still living in temporary housing and over 90% of the population require food aid.
During a visit to Gaza, Douglas Alexander called for improved access and urged the Israelis to relax tough restrictions on the type of goods that are allowed across the border.
United Nations assessments have indicated that urgent repair work is needed to initiate the first stage of recovery. Construction materials are desperately needed to help repair homes and infrastructure but restrictions on access to Gaza are preventing supplies getting through.
The International Development Secretary also met with representatives of the Israeli Government, the UN and organisations working on the ground in Gaza and the private sector during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The pledge includes a new £20m provision and an allocation of £10m from UK support announced in January.
The additional money pledged today will help to rebuild the lives of thousands of Palestinians whose homes and lives have been destroyed by the conflict. This brings the total response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to nearly £47m since the conflict began.
Douglas Alexander said:
“I’ve seen first hand today the effect that the recent conflict has had on ordinary people. That is why we are making available £30m to help kick-start a recovery. We want people to be able to go about their day-to-day lives, for schools to be open and for families to have a home once again. The continuing suffering in the area is very clear and we must provide more than just basic humanitarian support if we are to help rebuild people’s lives.
“There is a desperate need for tough restrictions on supply of goods to be relaxed. Gaza needs money, fuel and construction materials and whilst these goods are turned away at the borders, repairs to homes, water systems and the electricity network will remain impossible. Israel must do the right thing and allow much-need goods to get through to those men, women and children who continue to suffer.”
In Gaza, Douglas Alexander visited a workshop and warehouses in the UNRWA HQ that had been badly damaged in the conflict. In addition, he visited the industrial area and saw the impact of the heavy shelling there and discussed the obvious consequences of this for Gaza’s economy.
Notes to Editors
- The Department for International Development has committed nearly £27m to support aid agencies working on the ground in Gaza, and nearly £16m of this fund has now been allocated. Most recently, this included £1.5m to the World Food Programme’s Emergency Operation to meet the urgent basic food needs of 365,000 conflict-affected people in Gaza, and £340,000 to help the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) coordinate the provision of emergency water and sanitation. Other organisations that have received funding include the International Committee of the Red Cross, which received £4m to provide food and carry out health and protection work, £661,000 to Islamic Relief to repair and rebuild houses and schools, and £200,000 to Mines Advisory Group to Assess to survey and clear the danger of unexploded ordnance in Gaza.
How DFID aid has been allocated to meet humanitarian needs in Gaza.