UK raises aid to Palestinians by £10mn

Britain will increase aid to the Palestinian people by £10mn ($12.18mn) in response to a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said yesterday, as he called for Israel to try and minimise civilian casualties.
Gazans have been under siege since Israel launched its most intense bombardment and blockade following a devastating cross-border assault by Hamas on Oct 7. “We are increasing our aid by a third with an additional £10mn ($12.18mn) of support. An acute humanitarian crisis is unfolding to which we must respond,” Sunak told lawmakers.
“We must support the Palestinian people.” The European Commission said on Saturday that it was tripling its current humanitarian assistance for Gaza to €75mn ($78.8mn).
US President Joe Biden has also spoken about how aid for Palestinian people is urgently needed, though yesterday it remained stuck as the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza was not in operation.
Sunak said that at least six British citizens were killed, a further ten were missing, and some of those were feared dead, following the Hamas attack nine days ago. Sunak said that he supported absolutely Israel’s right to defend itself, to go after Hamas, take back hostages and strengthen its long-term security. “This must be done in line with international humanitarian law, but also recognising that they face a vicious enemy that embeds itself behind civilians,” Sunak said.
“As a friend, we will continue to call on Israel to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians.”
Sunak added at least six UK citizens had been killed after Hamas attacked Israel nine days ago. “The terrible nature of these attacks means it is proving difficult to identify many of the deceased but with a heavy heart I can inform the House (of Commons) that at least six British citizens were killed, a further ten are missing, some of whom are feared to be among the dead.”
Sunak yesterday condemned some incidents at pro-Palestinian marches in Britain this weekend as “simply not acceptable” after police made several arrests. “There is no place in our society for anti-Semitism and we will do everything we can to stamp it out. And where it happens, it will be met with the full force of the law,” Sunak said during a visit to a Jewish school in London.
London’s Metropolitan Police force said on Sunday evening that 15 people were arrested at Saturday’s pro-Palestinian protest in the centre of the British capital. Three men were subsequently charged with committing crimes, including a 68-year-old man suspected of making racist comments. The other two were charged with illegal knife possession and failing to remove a face covering.
“They’ve made several arrests but they’re also now reviewing footage of some of the things that many people would have seen that are just simply not acceptable, and where they can they will be able to make further arrests,” Sunak added.
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in London and other UK cities in support of Palestinians on Saturday, a week after Hamas launched the deadliest ever attack on Israel after crossing the border from Gaza. Israel declared war on Hamas the next day, unleashing a relentless bombing campaign of Gaza that has flattened neighbourhoods and left at least 2,750 people -- mainly civilians -- dead in the territory.
The UK government and British police have said that they have noted a spike in anti-Semitic crime and incidents in Britain since the Hamas attack. Sunak said he had told members of Britain’s Jewish community he would do “everything in our power to keep them safe”.
He also warned that praising Hamas, which is a banned organisation in the UK, could result in lengthy prison sentences. “It’s very clear under the law: the support and glorification of Hamas is illegal and those offences are punishable with up to almost 14 years in jail,” he told British broadcasters.
The Met said last week that while supporting Hamas is a crime, general expressions of support for Palestinians, including flying the Palestinian flag, were not criminal offences.