Huge push for Gaza aid - but little hope for those suffering - BBC News

There's a chasm between what Gaza needs and what it's receiving, writes Quentin Sommerville.

6 days agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsIsrael-Gaza warBy Quentin SommervilleBBC News, Doha, QatarThe Qatar Emiri Air Force cargo plane, a hulking grey C17, sat by a runway at the sprawling Al Udeid airbase. Deep inside, Britain's Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron, in black loafers and sweater, attempted to push a pallet of humanitarian aid for Gaza into the aircraft. It wouldn't budge.

He stepped back while burly Qatari airmen in combat fatigues made some adjustments. But the former British prime minister wasn't giving up, and with a sudden shift, the bundle - part of nearly 30 tonnes of aid including tents and food - began to move into the belly of the plane.

Lord Cameron's latest Middle East tour was aimed at helping to broker a permanent ceasefire to the conflict, the release of the more than 132 remaining hostages, and an increase in the aid getting into Gaza on a daily basis. He's putting in a lot of effort, but so far at least, has little to show for it.

Standing by the plane's enormous wings, Lord Cameron told me: "Nobody wants this conflict to go on a moment longer than necessary. But I've always understood that you won't have a proper ceasefire if you've still got Hamas in place, able to launch attacks on Israel.

"Everyone has to understand, that must be dismantled, otherwise no peace, no ceasefire will be sustainable."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68097993?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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