The UK has pledged £88 million (approximately US$116.4 million) in humanitarian and early recovery support for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The money will go to healthcare, clean water, sanitation and waste management.
The foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, announced the package at the UN General Assembly on 24 September. The UK, Jordan and Qatar were co-hosting a ministerial meeting there on humanitarian access and recovery in Gaza.
“It is vital that civilians in Gaza have unhindered access to aid,” Miliband said. “We urge the Government of Israel to listen to our Call to Action and take steps to end its unacceptable restrictions on Gaza.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) says the funding is expected to provide:
- emergency water trucking for 150,000 people
- solid waste services for up to 900,000 people
- medical consultations for up to 900,000 people
- rehabilitation and prosthetic treatment for 1,000 children with blast injuries
- mental health support for 21,000 people
Not all of the money is new. The FCDO said the total includes support already announced through UNRWA and the UN Horizon Fund. The £88 million is the sum of the UK’s humanitarian commitments for Palestinians this financial year. The UK’s bilateral aid budget for Palestine for 2026/27 is £127 million.
The announcement follows a reset of the UK’s approach to Israel and Palestine earlier this month. The government says that since October 2023, UK support has improved water, sanitation and hygiene services for more than 830,000 people. Over the same period it has provided food assistance to more than 1.4 million people across the Palestinian Territories.
