On 2 January the The UK MOD report that Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Lyme Bay delivered more than 300 pallets of UK aid as well as medical supplies on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus into Port Said, Egypt. The aid consisted of nearly 5,000 shelter kits and nearly 11,000 blankets.
Task group commander, Commander Sam Stephens, said: “The UK’s Armed Forces have a proud history of providing humanitarian assistance right across the globe, and the Littoral Response Group (South) was rightly re-tasked to the eastern Mediterranean to provide the UK government with the capability to deliver aid to Gaza.” He added: “We’ve worked tirelessly to provide a full range of options to ministers as to how we can best help, and I’m proud that we have now delivered on behalf of the United Kingdom.”
The Cypriot aid of ten pallets contained more than 1,500 kilograms of essential medical supplies and medication. This latest delivery follows more than 70 tonnes of UK aid for Gaza already delivered via Egypt by the Royal Air Force since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Lyme Bay’s Commanding Officer Captain Chris Clarke said: “The work to help facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza has been an emotionally subliminal occasion for the ship’s company of RFA Lyme Bay. In a truly a joint and international endeavour, from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and Ministry of Defence to their Cypriot counterparts, our people, whether Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and civilian RFA staff, have combined to embark, transport and now offload aid into the hands of non-government organisations ashore. We remain hopeful that our endeavour, no matter how small in the greater context of the conflict, will bring some hope and comfort to those in this time of great need.”
The aid was received by the Egyptian Red Crescent for onward transportation and distribution in Gaza by aid organisations including the UN Relief and Works Agency. Lyme Bay is deployed to the Mediterranean alongside RFA Argus as part of Littoral Response Group (South). Both ships have been deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean ready to support UK and international efforts to ease the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Source: UK MOD
