Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach Gaza, John Swinney says
Following a meeting with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, John Swinney said the situation in Gaza is "sickening" with the trickle of aid from private contractors "inhumane and inadequate".
Speaking with UNRWA Europe manager Marc Lassouaou, Swinney said Scotland stands with 70 other countries in supporting established humanitarian agencies to deliver aid to those who need it most in Gaza.
Swinney said: "The scenes we are witnessing in Gaza are heartbreaking.
READ MORE: Children are dying of thirst in Gaza, Unicef says
"More than 56,000 people have already been killed and many more are now being left to starve at the hands of the Israeli Government as they continue to block humanitarian aid reaching Gaza.
'The rhetoric of Israeli politicians has become increasingly extreme, and the trickle of aid being delivered by private contractors is inadequate and inhumane.
"For many civilians, simply queuing to collect what little humanitarian aid is allowed to enter Gaza has resulted in their death by Israeli gunfire. There are reports that over 400 people have been shot near aid distribution points since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operations.
"This situation is sickening. The international community cannot allow this to continue and must demand that the international rule of law is enforced."
(Image: AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Since the outset of the current conflict, the Scottish Government has provided £1.3 million for Gaza and the wider Middle East, including £750,000 for UNRWA and a further £550,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee Appeal, Mercy Corps and SCIAF.
Lassouaoui said: 'In Gaza, starving people are being killed when they try to collect food. The new supply scheme continues to force thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles, excluding the most vulnerable.
"Mass starvation in Gaza can be stopped. Aid deliveries and distribution must be at scale and safe.
"UNRWA warmly welcomes Scotland's strong commitment to its work, its mandate, and to Palestine refugees.'
The United Nations has condemned what it said was Israel's "weaponisation of food", urging its military to "stop shooting at people trying to get food".
READ MORE: 'Lifesaving' £250K aid pledged for DR Congo crisis
The organisation also called a new US- and Israel-backed food-distribution system in the Gaza Strip an "abomination".
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began handing out food in Gaza on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into the occupied Palestinian territory for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.
The UN and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF – an officially private effort with opaque funding – over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
Unicef reported earlier this week children are dying of thirst in Gaza.
The UN agency said the Palestinian territory of more than two million people was hitting "rock bottom", adding that 400 aid distribution points in Gaza had dwindled to just four as Israel continues to impose restrictions.
Children are beginning to die of thirst in Gaza as fuel for trucks to distribute water across the territory has not been allowed in, the organisation said.
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