The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, had a phone conversation today with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, HRH Mohamed bin Salman Al Saud to discuss the latest developments in the Gaza conflict as well as the main issues of bilateral cooperation.
Regarding the situation in Gaza, the two leaders expressed concern about Israel’s most recent decisions, which appear to be leading to further military escalation. They emphasized the need to achieve, without further delay, a cessation of hostilities to put an end to the dramatic humanitarian situation in the Strip and begin the reconstruction of Gaza, where, the Prime Minister emphasized, the role of Arab nations remains fundamental.
In the meanwhile, the Italian humanitarian effort continues. A new consignment of food aid donated by Italy through the World Food Programme entered Gaza today, as part of the “Food for Gaza” initiative. The 20 lorries, carrying over 350 tonnes of flour for the civilian population in the Strip, had departed from Jordan last week, as part of a humanitarian operation aiming to reach over one million Palestinian civilians. In the coming days, the initiative will be supplemented by a further convoy carrying an additional 100 tonnes, which has already left Jordan bound for the Israel–Gaza border in the north of the Strip.
In parallel, with the decisive role of the Ministry of Defence, airdrops of humanitarian aid over the Gaza Strip are continuing. The operations, managed by the Italian Air Force and Army from an air base in Jordan, will make it possible to parachute over 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid through a series of drops to be carried out daily until the end of this week.
Italy is also currently preparing for a medical evacuation operation which, in the coming days, will allow for the reception of a new group of over 30 sick Palestinian children and their families (around 120 people in total) to be treated in our country. To date, 150 children from Gaza and their families (over 460 people) have already been admitted to various healthcare facilities across Italy, making our country the fourth in the world – and the first among Western nations – to have organised the transfer of patients from the Strip to specialised hospitals.
