Current status: Answered by Angus Robertson on 26 March 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the £750,000 that it provided for aid in Gaza, what its response is to the Israeli government's reported decision to block such aid for people in Gaza, and what information it has on whether any aid that it has provided or funded will be impacted.
Since the current escalation began, Scottish Government has provided £1m to support humanitarian response efforts in Gaza and the wider region. £750k of this was channelled through the UN Relief and Works Agency in November 2023. These funds have been fully used to provide food, medicine and shelter for displaced people in Gaza.
We provided a further £250,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee, Mercy Corps and SCIAF in November 2024. I am concerned that the current Israeli blockade of aid entering Gaza, now in its third week, could lead to delays in this lifesaving support reaching the men women and children who so desperately need it.
I urge all parties to reengage in negotiations in good faith and with due regard to their obligations under international humanitarian law which requires the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief.