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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| UK makes £20m aid promise to Gaza | UK makes £20m aid promise to Gaza |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| The British government has pledged to give a further £20m in humanitarian aid to help crisis-torn Gaza. | The British government has pledged to give a further £20m in humanitarian aid to help crisis-torn Gaza. |
| International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said he hoped the aid would help bring relief to the "terrible suffering" there. | International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said he hoped the aid would help bring relief to the "terrible suffering" there. |
| Meanwhile Gordon Brown is to join world leaders in Egypt for a summit on the Middle East crisis, chaired by the Egyptian and French presidents. | Meanwhile Gordon Brown is to join world leaders in Egypt for a summit on the Middle East crisis, chaired by the Egyptian and French presidents. |
| The summit comes after Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza. | The summit comes after Israel declared a unilateral ceasefire in Gaza. |
| Mr Alexander told BBC One's Andrew Marr show that both aid and access to Gaza for humanitarian aid was needed. | Mr Alexander told BBC One's Andrew Marr show that both aid and access to Gaza for humanitarian aid was needed. |
| Responsibility | |
| He said he was sending minister Mike Foster to meet the UN in the region to find out what else could be done to ensure sufficient access was available. | He said he was sending minister Mike Foster to meet the UN in the region to find out what else could be done to ensure sufficient access was available. |
| "We need to make sure more convoys can get into Gaza and we've been quite clear that we want unfettered humanitarian access to ensure the kind of supplies destroyed at the UN headquarters can be replenished," he said. | "We need to make sure more convoys can get into Gaza and we've been quite clear that we want unfettered humanitarian access to ensure the kind of supplies destroyed at the UN headquarters can be replenished," he said. |
| An immediate strain was put on the ceasefire following renewed fighting on Sunday - with rockets fired from Gaza and a subsequent Israeli airstrike. | |
| Mr Alexander said both sides had a responsibility to keep the peace. | |
| "From the British government's point of view, we are clear that there is first of all a heavy responsibility on Hamas who have been firing these rockets - even in the hours since the unilateral ceasefire - into Israel. But equally, there are responsibilities on Israel." | |
| He declined to give a view on whether Israel's actions in Gaza constituted a war crime, saying that was a matter for the United Nations. | |
| 'International pressure' | 'International pressure' |
| German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also believed to have agreed to take part in the summit in Sharm El-Shiekh, along with the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon and the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. | German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also believed to have agreed to take part in the summit in Sharm El-Shiekh, along with the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon and the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas. |
| Mr Brown earlier offered UK naval resources to help monitor the conflict and help ensure protection and monitoring of the crossings into Gaza. | Mr Brown earlier offered UK naval resources to help monitor the conflict and help ensure protection and monitoring of the crossings into Gaza. |
| Foreign Secretary David Miliband, meanwhile, has welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announcement of the ceasefire as a "huge relief". | Foreign Secretary David Miliband, meanwhile, has welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announcement of the ceasefire as a "huge relief". |
| Mr Miliband said the country had listened to international pressure and it was now "imperative" for Hamas to stop its rocket attacks on Israel. | Mr Miliband said the country had listened to international pressure and it was now "imperative" for Hamas to stop its rocket attacks on Israel. |
| He also called for the Gaza strip to be opened up to aid workers as quickly as possible. | He also called for the Gaza strip to be opened up to aid workers as quickly as possible. |
| Mr Olmert said Israel's operation in Gaza had fully achieved its aims, claiming Hamas was badly damaged militarily and in terms of infrastructure. | Mr Olmert said Israel's operation in Gaza had fully achieved its aims, claiming Hamas was badly damaged militarily and in terms of infrastructure. |
| Earlier, a Hamas spokesman said it would fight until its demands were met, including an Israeli withdrawal. | Earlier, a Hamas spokesman said it would fight until its demands were met, including an Israeli withdrawal. |