The Diplomat
The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, announced yesterday that Spain is prepared to increase humanitarian aid for Gaza after the initial support of one million euros, which he announced a few days ago.
On his X social network account, Albares stated that he was “alarmed by the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” and stressed the need to guarantee this aid to the civilian population.
“It is urgent to protect the civilian population, allow access to aid and ensure respect for international humanitarian law, including the release of hostages. We are ready to increase Spanish aid after initial support of one million euros,” the minister wrote.
The minister announced a few days ago that Spain was increasing aid to Palestine by one million euros, which had been budgeted for this year at eight million.
Now, Albares announces that to this commitment of a total of nine million euros, more aid will be added, in an amount that he did not disclose. The Ministry will predictably communicate the amount of this new aid when it is confirmed whether the European Union decides to increase its contribution and the contributions that United Nations organizations such as UNRWA (the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees) can make are known. or the World Food Programme.
Complicated evacuation
Meanwhile, the deadline given by Israel for the evacuation of the population of northern Gaza before the start of its attack against Hamas has expired, the evacuation of 250 Spanish residents is complicated.
Spain had negotiated with Israel and Egypt the evacuation of its citizens in the Gaza Strip through the border crossing with Egypt, but hours later this country has refused to allow foreigners to leave Gaza if humanitarian aid is not allowed in.
“The Rafah crossing will be prepared from 12 to 5:00 p.m.; on the Egyptian side, a delegation from the Spanish Embassy in Egypt will be waiting for the Spanish colony and they will take us to Cairo and then we will be waiting for a plane that is coming from Madrid to pick us up and take us to Spain,” the coordinator of the Spanish community in Gaza, Salah al Sousi, told Efe. However, these plans have subsequently been frustrated.
According to sources from the Egyptian television Al Qahera News, close to the Intelligence of this country, Egypt refused to allow the crossing of foreigners who are in Gaza, a request that several countries have made, after an agreement was not reached. agreement so that aid could come in for the 2.2 million people overcrowded in the strip.
