The United Kingdom has announced a fresh package of humanitarian aid for Gaza, as Israel prepares to reduce or halt deliveries into northern parts of the territory amid intensified military action.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged Israel to allow a “surge in aid” and confirmed targeted support for pregnant women and new mothers through the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA. Around £3 million will be directed to bolster midwifery services in Gaza, where about 130 women give birth each day.
Mr Lammy said: “The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic, with famine in Gaza City and women and girls bearing the brunt of the suffering. The UK is doing all we can to improve the situation but we remain crystal clear: for aid to have impact, Israel must ensure it is allowed in and delivered safely and securely to civilians in desperate need.”
The Foreign Office will also partner with Oxfam GB to distribute menstrual hygiene products, designed to meet the needs of women and girls with little access to clean water.
The announcement came as an Israeli official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that airdrops over Gaza City would be halted in the coming days and the number of aid trucks reduced. The decision follows Israel’s declaration of Gaza City as a combat zone and the ending of daytime pauses in fighting, which had been allowing limited aid deliveries.
International aid organisations warned the move could trigger another large-scale displacement. Mirjana Spoljaric, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said: “Such an evacuation would trigger a massive population movement that no area in the Gaza Strip can absorb, given the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure and the extreme shortages of food, water, shelter and medical care.”
Israel’s military escalation came shortly after the discovery of the body of Idan Shtivi, one of the hostages kidnapped during the Hamas-led assault on the Nova music festival on 7 October 2023. Of more than 250 hostages taken that day, 48 remain in Gaza, with Israel believing around 20 are still alive.
Mr Lammy stressed that real progress required an end to the fighting, saying: “We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, a surge in aid and a framework to deliver long-term peace.”
