Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson has allocated ISK 12 million (USD 104,000, EUR 77,700) to two United Nations programs operating in Gaza in light of the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Half of the funds will go to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) while the other half will go to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).
Over 100,000 people have been displaced as a result of the conflict with Israel. Donations will be used to ensure basic assistance such as food, water, shelter, sanitation, psychological support for children and healthcare, as stated in a press release from the ministry.
Gunnar has called on the international community to take action to prevent further violence. “If this continues it can erode the credibility of international organizations and those states which should be able to end a situation such as this one,” he said in an official statement.
Katrín Júlíusdóttir, MP and vice-chair of the Social Democrats, has called for an end to diplomatic relations with Israel in response to the current situation in Gaza while Björk Vilhelmsdóttir, a member of the Reykjavík City Council for the center-left Social Democrats, called on consumers to boycott all Israeli products last week in response to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
More than 600 Palestinians, the majority civilians, and 29 Israelis have been killed in the past 14 days of fighting, the BBC reports. Forty-three percent of Gaza has been affected by evacuation warnings or declared no-go zones.
High-profile talks to end the conflict are ongoing.
