(Adnkronos) – Foreign minister Antonio was due to attend a handover ceremony in Genova on Friday of 15 trucks the government has bought for the United Nations World Food Programme to transport urgently needed aid for Palestinian civilians in war-devastated Gaza.
“Italy is at the forefront of efforts to guarantee the flow of aid to the civilian population in Gaza,” Tajani said in a foreign ministry statement ahead of Friday’s handover ceremony, which will also be attended WFP deputy executive director Rania Dagash.
At a G7 development ministers meeting in Pescara held in Pescara from Tuesday to Thursday and which Tajani chaired, he unveiled “further contributions” from the government’s overseas aid department, Tajani said.
At the Pescara meeting, Tajani announced 10 million euros of fresh humanitarian aid for Gaza. Tajani also announce a further 5 million euros to help the Palestinian Authority rebuild the Palestinian coastal enclave, much of which have been reduced to rubble by Israeli air strikes that began after the deadly Hamas-led cross-border attacks on 7 October last year.
“With this initiative we want to underline the commitment of the Italian government in the face of the humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip: we are striving to make sure the aid arrives as quickly as possible,” Tajani siad.
“These special vehicles have this exact aim: to make WFP’s delivery of materials to beneficiaries even more efficient” concluded Tajani.
Since 7 October 2023, Italy’s government has unveiled aid packages worth a total 70 million euros, the foreign ministry statement noted.
Of these sums, 30 million euros have been earmarked for the ‘Food for Gaza’ scheme launched by Tajani in March in coordination with WFP, the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
In the past 30 days, ‘Food for Gaza’ has distributed 47 tonnes of food to Palestinian civilians in the besieged and blockaded coastal enclave, Tajani said on Thursday at the Pescara meeting’s closing press conference.
Tajani told reporters he received assurances from Israel’s government that the WFP aid trucks will be allowed to enter Gaza.
‘Food for Gaza’ is delivering essential healthcare items as well as food, according to the foreign ministry.
