UK government to double public donations for Gaza
The UK will match pound for pound the first £2 million donations to the DEC Gaza appeal
Clean water and sanitation is critical to prevent disease breaking out. Picture: Iyad Al Baba/Oxfam
The British government will activate UK Aid Match for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal, International Development Secretary Justine Greening announced today.
The DEC will see the first £2 million of donations from members of the public aid matched, meaning that every £1 donated is matched by UK aid.
You can donate to the DEC Gaza appeal at www.dec.org.uk or text DEC to 70000 to give £5
Justine Greening said:
Four weeks of violence have left people in Gaza in desperate need of food, shelter and medical supplies. The British people have shown immense generosity in situations like this and the UK Government will help that generosity go twice as far.
For people wanting to help civilians in Gaza caught up in this crisis, giving now means every pound they donate will buy twice as many food parcels, provide twice as many blankets and help twice as many people to get through this crisis.
The DEC appeal will provide immediate life-saving support to people affected by the crisis in Gaza.
The new £2 million commitment will take the UK government’s total support for the people of Gaza since the start of this crisis to £17 million. In addition to today’s announcement, since the beginning of the crisis Britain has released:
- a total of £6 million for the UNRWA’s Flash Appeal to pay for basics such as shelter and cooking equipment
- £3 million to the World Food Programme to provide emergency food for more than 300,000 people for one month
- £3 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide emergency healthcare and clean water and
- £3 million, which has been made available for clean water, emergency healthcare and protection of civilians through the Rapid Response Facility, which was activated on Saturday 2 August.
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