ROME – An operational meeting on the ‘Food for Gaza’ initiative will be chaired by Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, this afternoon at the Italian Foreign Ministry (Farnesina). The Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, will attend the meeting.
In addition to the two Foreign Ministers, the meeting will be attended by representatives of FAO and WFP, along with the head of the Italian Civil Protection Department Fabrizio Curcio, and the President of the Italian Red Cross Rosario Valastro, also representing the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The Permanent Representative of Italy to FAO and the Italian Director General for Development Cooperation, who are overseeing the initiative on behalf of the Italian Foreign Ministry, will also participate.
“Six months have passed since 7 October, since the brutal assault perpetrated by Hamas on the Israeli population. I have invited Minister Katz to Rome and with him I will meet a group of relatives of the hostages whose immediate release Italy demands. We will never cease to condemn Hamas’s brutal decision to carry out an outright pogrom against the Israeli citizens living near the Strip”, said Tajani, adding that “I will present the ‘Food for Gaza’ initiative to Minister Katz and ask Israel to agree to a ceasefire, open the land border crossings and make the sea corridor operational immediately to facilitate the arrival of essential goods for the population in the Gaza Strip, especially food and health products”. “We are extremely concerned about the grave situation unfolding in Gaza”, the Deputy Minister continued, “and the initiative we have launched aims to contribute effectively to averting a humanitarian catastrophe”.
The ‘Food for Gaza’ initiative, launched in recent weeks by the Italian Foreign Ministry on the initiative of Minister Tajani, is aimed at facilitating access to food aid, alleviating the suffering of the population and ensuring food security in the Gaza Strip.
The Italian Government has confirmed to Israel its intent to remain at the forefront in providing assistance and medical care to the Palestinian population, and the necessity to proceed immediately to a ceasefire and rehabilitation phase involving all levels of civil, healthcare, food, and agricultural structures in the Strip.
