On the initiative of Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, next Monday Italy will set up the “Food for Gaza” initiative, a coordination panel featuring FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
“Since the outbreak of the conflict, Italy has been at the forefront in providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Now we must ensure that much-needed food aid reaches the Strip. We want to launch a coordinated humanitarian response. The initiative, called “Food for Gaza”, is intended to facilitate the delivery of food aid, alleviate the suffering of the population and ensure food security in the Gaza Strip,” Tajani commented.
The ongoing conflict has led to acute levels of food insecurity. Should the insecurity worsen, a famine could occur within two months, with even more tragic consequences for civilians, starting with women and children.
“The aim of “Food for Gaza” is to work with organisations on the ground to facilitate the delivery of aid. The success of a coordinated action on food security for the population of Gaza may in turn pave the way for a political solution to the conflict, something that Italy has been working on together with its international partners,” stated the Minister.
The initiative is one of the many actions taken by Italy to provide aid to Gaza since the outbreak of the crisis. Since October 2023, the Italian Government has in fact delivered 16 tonnes of relief goods, which were transported from the Brindisi Base by two Italian Air Force C-130s; sent an Italian Navy unit (the ship VULCANO) with a hospital on board equipped with a CT scan and operating theatres, offering assistance and medical care to Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom were minors; and sent two flights of the Italian Air Force, again with the aim of providing essential medical care to Palestinian children in Italian hospitals.
Italy has also supported the international UN bodies, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Civil Society Organisations, with a 20-million-euro donation for humanitarian interventions in the Strip, allocated in two instalments: the first at the beginning of December and the second currently being disbursed.
As part of the Italian funding to FAO, deliveries of veterinary kits, fertilisers, animal vaccines, fodder, seeds, water tanks, animal shelters, plastic sheeting for greenhouses, and irrigation pipes have been underway since December.
