Gaza humanitarian access ‘must not be one-off’, says Cleverly

Aid has begun to flow into Gaza after the border crossing with Egypt was opened, with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly saying it was a “lifeline” for those suffering in the territory.

But he said the opening of the Rafah crossing could not be a one-off event and he would continue to push for humanitarian access to Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has been besieged and bombarded by Israel after its Hamas rulers launched a series of terrorist raids on October 7.

The Rafah border crossing with Egypt was opened on Saturday morning to let desperately needed aid flow to Palestinians running short of food, medicine and water in the territory.

More than 200 trucks carrying roughly 3,000 tons of aid had been positioned near the crossing for days before heading into Gaza.

On the Gaza side of the border, hundreds of foreign passport-holders have been trying to leave the besieged territory.

Mr Cleverly, who was visiting Egypt on Saturday for the Cairo Peace Summit, said: “Trucks carrying lifesaving aid are beginning to cross at Rafah into Gaza. This aid is a lifeline for those suffering.

“But it cannot be a one-off.

“The UK continues to push for humanitarian access to Gaza.”

Mr Cleverly will use the Cairo summit to emphasise the UK’s call to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict spiralling into a wider Middle East war.

ActionAid Palestine spokesman Riham Jafari said the Rafah crossing convoy was “barely a drop in the ocean” and called for a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

“Before this crisis began, around 500 aid trucks would normally cross the border every day providing a vital lifeline to millions of Gazans who were already facing a humanitarian crisis,” she said.

“Aid trucks also did not bring with them the fuel needed to power hospitals, keep ambulances moving, or to pump water from the ground.”

The opening of the Rafah crossing followed another major development in the crisis when Hamas freed an American woman and her teenage daughter it had held hostage in the Gaza Strip, the first such release from among around 200 people the militant group abducted during its October 7 raids on southern Israel.

Judith Raanan and her 17-year-old daughter Natalie were released following talks brokered by Qatar.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “I welcome the release of two US hostages in Gaza and thank Qatar for their leadership on this issue. ”

Hamas said it had released them for humanitarian reasons in an agreement with the Qatari government.

Meanwhile in the UK the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) has said it expects 200,000 people to join what it claims will be the “biggest march for Palestinian rights in British history” on Saturday.

PSC director Ben Jamal said: “They will be calling for an end to violence, to all attacks on civilians, and for our Government to end its complicity with the root causes of the violence – Israel’s system of military occupation, colonisation and apartheid.”

Speakers at a rally outside Downing Street will include Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan, NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede, FBU general secretary Matt Wrack, UCU general secretary Jo Grady and RMT senior assistant general secretary Eddie Dempsey.