- extra UK aid announced today will support organisations on the ground seeking to get food, water and medicine to those who need it
- Minister Chapman will call Israel’s decision to allow just a basic amount of food into Gaza ‘abominable’ after an ‘indefensible’ 11-week blockade.
- on her first visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in her role, the Minister also emphasises the need to release all Israeli hostages held by Hamas and works towards a two-state solution
Vulnerable Gazans must urgently be given full access to aid, UK Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said today [Wednesday 21 May] on her first visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in her role.
Following the Government’s calls, together with partners, for restrictions on aid access to be lifted, the UK has announced £4m of new UK humanitarian support for Gazans as the Minister reaffirms the UK’s commitment to driving peace in the region.
The visit comes the day after Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced new sanctions hitting violent West Bank settlers, paused free trade agreement negotiations with Israel and called the Government of Israel’s actions ‘egregious’ and ‘intolerable’.
On her visit the Development Minister will say the limited restart of aid deliveries into Gaza is ‘simply not enough’ and she will urge the Israeli government to allow the unhindered provision of aid. She will say the blockade has been appalling and indefensible, particularly following an IPC report noting the entire population of Gaza is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.
The Minister will announce new UK support during a visit to a Red Crescent centre, highlighting that the UK stands ready to provide the urgent aid to those who desperately need it, while expressing frustration much of it cannot yet reach them.
Backing up words with action, the new UK support would cover essential medicines and medical supplies for up to 32,000 people, safe drinking water for up to 60,000 people, and food parcels for up to 14,000 people.
Minister for Development, Jenny Chapman said:
The lack of aid reaching ordinary Gazans is appalling. The Israeli government’s failure to allow full humanitarian access to aid workers is abhorrent. Far too few trucks are crossing into Gaza. The UN has warned nearly half a million Palestinians, including children, are facing starvation.
The UK is clear – Israel will not achieve security through prolonging the suffering of the Palestinian people.
I have heard first hand from aid workers today of the abominable impact of this behaviour on real families. The UK has today pledged new support for Gazans but the brutal reality is most of it is stuck in limbo.
We need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a surge of aid, and a path towards long-term peace.
During the first day of her visit (Wednesday, May 21), Minister Chapman has met with Palestinian Justice Minister Sharhabeel al-Zaeem, and talked to UNRWA representatives on resolving the challenges in getting aid to Palestinian communities.
Tomorrow, she is due to meet the families of hostages cruelly held by Hamas, where she will highlight the importance of an immediate ceasefire and a negotiated end to the conflict which secures their urgent release. This is the only way to deliver long-term stability in the region, and at home, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.
Background
- The £4 million contribution announced today will be made to the British Red Cross to deliver humanitarian relief in Gaza through their partner the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. This support has been allocated from the £101 million set aside for the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) in financial year 2025-26, announced during the official visit of Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa to the UK.
- UK support to the OPTs since October 7, 2023, has so far provided 405,000 patient consultations across Gaza, food aid to at least 647,000 people, and improved water, sanitation and hygiene services to almost 300,000 people.
- Photos from the visit will be available on FCDO Flickr
- See here for the Foreign Secretary’s statement announcing sanctions on West Bank violence network and the pause on negotiations for a free trade agreement.
- See here for joint statement from the leaders of the UK, France and Canada on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank delivered on 19/05/2025.
- See here for joint statement from UK and 26 other humanitarian partners delivered on 19/05/2025.
