British troops to help get food into Gaza by sea as babies starve to death

08 March 2024 , 14:23

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Palestinian children carry banners during a march in Rafah demanding an end to the war (Image: Getty Images)

Britain will help get vital food supplies into Gaza by sea as children are starved to death.

The UK will join the US and other allies in establishing a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly into the territory. Joe Biden has announced that American military personnel will build a temporary port on the Gaza coast.

The move follows mounting concern about the level of aid getting in over land, with international bodies warning of an impending famine if current restrictions continue.

But David Cameron warned the temporary harbour "will take months to stand up", as he urged Israel to "promise today" to allow supplies to be shipped into Ashdod Port in the meantime so they can be driven into Gaza.

The Foreign Secretary told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme it was "incredibly frustrating" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not heeding calls to open more crossing points, allow more UN staff into Gaza and switch on water and electricity in the territory.

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The UK will rule "in the coming days" if Israel is breaking international humanitarian law, which could dictate whether Britain stops arms sales to the country. Downing Street said the Government had been involved in planning and surveying for the pontoon, although British troops won’t be deployed.

Hunger is most acute in northern Gaza, which has been isolated by Israeli forces and has not had deliveries of food supplies.

At least 20 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration at two hospitals in the north of the country. Most are children. Particularly vulnerable children are also beginning to die of hunger in the south, even though there is better access to aid. At one hospital in Rafah, 16 premature babies have died of malnutrition over the past five weeks.

British aid packages have previously been air-dropped into Gaza in a joint operation with the Jordanian military, and the Government has continued to work on finding alternative routes for supplies to reach the territory.

The UK Government has also called for a "humanitarian pause" in the fighting to enable aid to get into Gaza and hostages held by Hamas to be released. Lord Cameron said there is "more of a possibility than a probability" that a pause in the fighting in Gaza could still happen before Ramadan, which begins on Sunday.

Last week, the Commons International Development Committee warned that a famine in Gaza would be unavoidable without changes to allow more aid to get into the region. The cross-party committee said any ceasefire of less than 30 days would not be enough to get sufficient food into Gaza, while US vice-president Kamala Harris has suggested a six-week ceasefire is within reach.

John Stevens