By Al-Fassel | 2024-01-05

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday (January 4) headed back to the Middle East to press for immediate new aid for Gaza and regional de-escalation.

Blinken will discuss "immediate measures to increase substantially humanitarian assistance to Gaza," where the United Nations (UN) estimates 1.9 million are displaced and the World Health Organization has warned of the risk of famine and disease.

He will visit both Israel and the West Bank, home of the Palestinian Authority, and five Arab countries -- Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the US State Department said.

"We don't expect every conversation on this trip to be easy. There are obviously tough issues facing the region and difficult choices ahead," said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

"But the secretary believes it is the responsibility of the United States of America to lead diplomatic efforts to tackle those challenges head on," he said.

During a December 5 visit to al-Arish, USAID director Samantha Power pledged more than $21 million in new humanitarian assistance on behalf of USAID.

She noted that al-Arish has become "the new humanitarian hub for getting the humanitarian pipeline into Gaza" and needs to be expanded.

"Most of the population in Gaza is entirely dependent, right now, on humanitarian aid," she said during an interview with Sky News Arabia.

UK aid shipment arrives in Egypt

Meanwhile, close to 90 tons of thermal blankets and other essential items have arrived in Egypt as part of the first UK maritime shipment of lifesaving aid to civilians in Gaza, the British government said Tuesday.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship Lyme Bay delivered the shipment -- which includes over 10,000 thermal blankets, 5,000 shelters for winter and medical supplies provided by the United Kingdom and Cyprus -- to Egypt from Cyprus.

The Cypriot aid of 10 pallets contained more than 1,500kg of essential medical supplies and medication, the UK Royal Navy said.

The aid was pre-screened in Cyprus, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said.

The delivery follows more than 70 tons of UK aid for Gaza already delivered via Egypt by the Royal Air Force since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

"We remain hopeful that our endeavor, no matter how small in the greater context of the conflict, will bring some hope and comfort to those in this time of great need," RFA Lyme Bay commanding officer Capt. Chris Clarke said.

From Port Said, Egypt, where RFA Lyme Bay is docked, the Egyptian Red Crescent transported the aid to the North Sinai provincial capital of al-Arish, and then onward through the Rafah crossing into Gaza.

Inside Gaza, it is being distributed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Maritime corridor from Cyprus

Shapps described the maritime aid delivery as "a significant milestone."

"By testing new maritime routes, the UK is paving the way for other international donors to increase and accelerate aid deliveries," he said.

"Significantly more aid needs to reach Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people," said British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

He pledged that the United Kingdom "will continue to work with our partners in the region to open more aid routes into Gaza," including through the proposed maritime corridor from Cyprus.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides raised the maritime corridor idea with European Union (EU) leaders in October, after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron.

"The Republic of Cyprus is trying, within its capabilities, to ensure that humanitarian aid to Gaza is uninterrupted," Christodoulides said at the time.

He said Cyprus was taking the initiative as the nearest EU member state to the region and because of its good relations with Arab states and Israel.

"The UK is committed to supporting the people of Gaza," Cameron said.

"The UK also wants to see the immediate release of hostages and progress towards a sustainable ceasefire," he said, noting he had discussed the issues with new Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, AFP reported.

Cameron said the United Kingdom has "already trebled our aid commitment to Palestinians this year," so far announcing it will spend almost 60 million GBP ($76 million) in additional humanitarian funding in Gaza this financial year.

The most recent package of 30 million GBP ($38 million) has been allocated to trusted partners on the ground including UNRWA, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP), among others.