The Foreign Secretary has announced that the UK will lift the pause on funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the key aid delivery body operating in Gaza.
In his first statement to MPs, the Foreign Secretary outlined that the UK will release £21 million to support its lifesaving work in Gaza and the provision of basic services in the region.
This funding will go towards UNRWA’s flash appeal for Gaza and the West Bank, which focuses its resources on emergency food, shelter and other support for 3 million people, as well as its wider work supporting 6 million Palestinian refugees across the region.
The Foreign Secretary said to Parliament:
“Humanitarian aid is a moral necessity in the face of such a catastrophe and it is aid agencies who ensure UK support reaches civilians on the ground.
UNRWA is absolutely central to these efforts. No other agency can get aid into Gaza at the scale needed.
I was appalled by the allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7th October attacks. We are reassured that after Catherine Colonna’s independent review, UNRWA is ensuring they meet the highest standards of neutrality and strengthening its procedures, including on vetting.
UNRWA has acted. Partners like Japan, the EU and Norway have now acted. This government will act too.”
The UK’s funding for UNRWA was paused in light of allegations by Israel that 12 staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel. Following an independent review by Catherine Colonna and the subsequent action plan UNRWA has provided setting out detailed management reforms, the government is confident that UNRWA is taking action to ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality.
The announcement brings the UK into line with partners such as Germany, the EU, Sweden, Japan, France and other donors.
UNRWA is the main provider of humanitarian relief within Gaza, and other UN and humanitarian actors depend on UNRWA’s distribution network to get aid to those who need it most. UNRWA has provided 1.15 million people facing devastating hunger in Gaza with food parcels.
The Foreign Secretary spoke with UN Secretary General Guterres last week to confirm the UK’s decision to restart funding and discuss the UN’s vital role in providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Development Minister Anneliese Dodds will meet UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini today to discuss how the funding will support UNRWA’s work and condemn the killing of almost 200 UNRWA workers in the conflict.
Development Minister Anneliese Dodds said:
“The situation in Gaza is intolerable and unacceptable and urgent action is needed to alleviate the suffering of civilians there.
UNRWA is the only agency that can deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid at the scale needed. But it can only operate effectively if it has access to the whole of Gaza and it is safe for UNRWA staff to work there.
That’s why we are calling for unfettered access for humanitarian organisations alongside an immediate ceasefire, the protection of civilians, the release of all hostages and a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution.”
The Foreign Secretary also set out in Parliament his wider plan to reach an end to the conflict in Gaza. He made clear the immediate priority is a ceasefire complied with by both sides, the release of all hostages and a surge of aid into Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary said to Parliament:
“Britain wants to see an immediate ceasefire. The fighting must stop. The hostages must be released. Much, much more aid has got to enter Gaza…. This horror must end, now.
The Foreign Secretary raised the urgent need for the conflict to end during his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his visit to the Middle East last week.
