: The First Minister will
be aware of the huge crisis in Gaza. Not only are there over
30,000 people who have been killed, 70 per cent of them children
and girls, and that as a result of the war between Israel and Hamas, but, now,
there is a humanitarian crisis of the kind that we haven't seen
for decades facing the people of Gaza. Some 1.7 million people
are facing appalling famine. We haven't seen this kind of event
for decades, and the only way to meet the needs of those people
is to take goods in on the ground. But unfortunately, because of
the war, many of the humanitarian organisations can't reach those
people. The most influential humanitarian organisation in the
area is the DEC, as you've mentioned, but, unfortunately, the DEC
cannot state the need for an appeal because of the war. We must,
therefore, have a ceasefire in order to ensure that the DEC can
launch an appeal and take goods in. So, as your final act—or one
of your final acts—as First Minister, will you join with the
calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, and ensure that the Government
here will therefore support any appeal by the DEC to support the
people affected there?
(First Minister of
Wales): Llywydd, I thank . We come to the end with
a very important question for people across the world, and for
also the people of Wales with family members in Gaza and who are
concerned every day about the events going on there. Of course,
we want to see a ceasefire, in terms of everything that's going
on there. And that's the reason, as said, why the committee
can't be there on the land, and without being on the land, we
can't provide that assistance that is most needed by the people
there. So, we are looking forward as a Government—. As we've
contributed to an appeal when it started in the context of
Ukraine, or Afghanistan, or Turkey, or Pakistan, we have provided
money from the people of Wales to help people on the ground. We
are looking forward to doing the same thing in Gaza, and to do so
as quickly as possible.
