UK gives £17m in drive to aid Gaza amid continuing ceasefire

The UK has provided an extra £17 million in humanitarian aid toward Gaza, amid the ongoing ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Development minister Anneliese Dodds announced the aid commitment in the House of Commons, which will go towards food, water, healthcare and sanitation programmes in the war-torn territory.

The fragile ceasefire in the Gaza conflict has lasted more than a week, with thousands of Gazans now returning to where they once lived in the north of the territory.

Foreign Office minister Ms Dodds told MPs: “The UK is investing in the ceasefire. UK support will be distributed to the UN and key medical partners so that tens of thousands of civilians get the healthcare, food and shelter they need.”

Some £2 million of the aid will be given to the World Bank to support the construction and restoration of critical water and energy infrastructure across the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the minister said.

In a plea to Israel to allow the UN’s main aid agency in Gaza to continue to operate, she added: “The UN and humanitarian agencies must be able to operate freely.

“This Government has repeatedly stated the need for UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) to continue its life-saving assistance to the people of Gaza, Jerusalem and the West Bank.”

Blocking

Israel’s Parliament has voted to block UNRWA from operating in Gaza, following reports that members of its staff colluded with Hamas.

Nine members of UNRWA staff were sacked following an investigation into the allegations.

The ban, which begins on January 30, “risks impeding the progress made since the ceasefire”, Ms Dodds warned.

She added: “Israel must allow the agency to continue to operate.

“The legislation does not and cannot change the fact that Israel has a responsibility under international law to facilitate humanitarian assistance. As the UN Security Council heard last week, a million Gazan children need support to process their traumatic experience. Their suffering cannot be underestimated.”

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel asked for assurances that British taxpayers’ money is “not being abused by Hamas”.

The senior Conservative added: “The minister has rightly mentioned UNRWA, and while no-one can doubt the size of its distribution network, we cannot ignore the problems within the organisation, and it’s in nobody’s interest to just pretend that they have not happened.

“We know the facts – UNRWA staff and institutions have been infiltrated by Hamas, including the shocking allegations of UNRWA staff involved in the October 7 attacks.”

A direct aid operation led by Jordan has meanwhile started to fly aid into Gaza via helicopter.

Some £500,000 of supplies on board the helicopters has been provided by the UK, and British military planners are also helping with logistics.