Italy will launch its 'Food for Gaza' scheme in a bid to avert "an even more devastating humanitarian catastrophe" in the blockaded and bombarded Palestinian enclave, where the United Nations says a quarter of its 2.3 million population is facing famine.
"We need to increase aid to the Gaza Strip. Otherwise, we run the risk of an even more devastating humanitarian catastrophe," foreign minister and deputy premier Antonio Tajani told parliament on Tuesday.
We must get all the food aid that is needed to the Strip. We want to promote a coordinated humanitarian initiative. I have named it 'Food for Gaza,'" Tajani went on.
Tajani unveiled the 'Food for Gaza' scheme in an interview with La Stampa daily on Monday - the same day that UN World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 10 children had starved to death in northern Gaza and reported "severe levels of malutrition" there after visits to the Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals.
Gaza's health ministry said on Sunday at least 15 children had died from malnutrition and dehydration at Gaza's Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda hospitals, where Tedros described conditions as "particularly appalling"
Tajani then reported that he had discussed the initiative with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation head Qu Dongyu and the UN World Food Program chief Cindy McCain.
''I intend to convene an inititial meeting, also with the Red Crescent and other organisations, next week,'' Tajani said.
As hopes for a ceasefire in Israel's five-month-old war Gaza by the start of Ramadan next week faded "the time is now" to get critical food supplies to the civilian population, Tajani underlined.
Italy's commitment to aiding Gazan civilians has not wavered since the start of the war, Tajani noted. The government has airlifted 16 tonnes of essential items and given 20 million euros to help ease the food and health emergency in Gaza, via the Red Cross, Red Cresecent, UN agencies, the European Union and Italian charities, Tajani recalled.
Italian doctors have also given critical medical treament to 100 Palestinian children in "a unique initiative in Europe", Tajani stated.
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