Thank you for contacting me about the situation in Gaza.
Gaza’s humanitarian situation remains deeply concerning. The difficulties are exacerbated by restrictions on movement and access to the Gaza strip.
I am assured that the UK regularly raises with the Government of Israel the urgent need to ease all access and movement restrictions on Gaza, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. Ministers and officials continue to stress the damage that these restrictions are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians in Gaza and that supporting legal trade for Gazans is firmly in Israel's long-term interests. The UK Embassy in Tel Aviv also regularly raises the importance of access to healthcare, including critical health services, with the Israeli authorities.
Restrictions on movement impact infrastructure development, the delivery of vital humanitarian services and limit the professional development of health and humanitarian workers. The UK continues to urge Israel to ensure humanitarian access into and out of Gaza, including for essential health services. The UK is also a longstanding supporter to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides core services, including healthcare to Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
Ultimately, there needs to be a just, fair, agreed, and realistic solution to the Palestinian refugee question as part of a negotiated peace agreement. The UK is firmly committed to a two-state solution to provide the long-term answer for Palestinian refugees and continues to work closely with international partners, strongly advocating for a two-state solution and encouraging a return to meaningful negotiations in the region.
