UK Foreign Secretary “the people of Gaza cannot afford to wait” for aid

• The Foreign Secretary is in Jordan today to call for increased aid access as a vital step in the pathway to peace
• She will visit a warehouse to see first-hand the aid that is ready to go in where greater access is urgently needed including further lifting of restrictions and opening more crossings.
• And she will announce £6 million in new UK funding for crisis maternity funding for women in conflict zones including Gaza
• £1 million in UK funding going to train Palestinian Security Forces based in the West Bank to build their capacity and capability to maintain security in the State of Palestine

The UK is intensifying humanitarian efforts across the Middle East, with Jordan continuing as a key hub for aid coordination and delivery.

During her visit to Jordan, the Foreign Secretary will witness first-hand the scale of the crisis, visiting a warehouse of UK aid ready awaiting access into Gaza.

While in the Middle East, the Foreign Secretary is pushing for all crossings into Gaza to open, further restrictions on aid to be lifted, and the UN and NGOs to be able to increase their lifesaving work as part of the US led peace plan.

In Jordan, the Foreign Secretary will meet leaders to discuss efforts by the UK and Jordan to support the ceasefire and people of Gaza and regional stability.

Three weeks on from the ceasefire, there has been an increase in the level of aid entering Gaza, however many vital items and agencies are still covered by restrictions, the scale of need is desperate and a further substantial increase in aid is needed.

Aid will help address the needs of the most vulnerable. Every week in Gaza at least 15 births take place outside hospitals, many without a skilled attendant, putting both mother and newborn at grave risk.

In response to this urgent need, the Foreign Secretary will announce £6 million in new funding from the UK through the UN to help provide maternity and sexual health care for women in conflict zones including Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. The funding includes support for mobile health and midwifery teams in Gaza.

This follows the £4 million announced this week, supporting the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to clear unexploded ordnance and ensure safe delivery of aid.

Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper said:

Essential UK aid, including food and shelter supplies, is ready and waiting in warehouses to go in. Humanitarian support is desperately needed and the people of Gaza cannot afford to wait.

Following the US-led peace process and the plans for a substantial increase in aid for Gaza, we need an increase in crossings, an acceleration in the lifting of restrictions and more agencies able to go in with aid.

As well as food aid, we need a rapid increase in shelter kits and medical care. That includes urgently needed maternity support for pregnant women.

There is no time to lose in delivering relief and making meaningful progress toward a lasting peace."

During her visit to Jordan, the Foreign Secretary will meet girls at an UNRWA school supported by UK funding and visit a hospital where children who have arrived in the UK for NHS medical care were treated and see the ongoing work to provide medical assessments, and vaccinations to children and families from Gaza.

Beyond humanitarian aid, the Foreign Secretary will also focus on peace and security. In Jordan, she will visit UK-supported training facilities for the Security Forces, announcing up to £1 million UK funding to train Palestinian Security Forces based in the West Bank to build their capacity and capability to maintain security in the State of Palestine.

As part of the UK's commitment to the US-led ceasefire and President Trump's peace initiative, the Foreign Secretary will meet with regional leaders and international partners to drive forward progress towards reconstruction and lasting peace.

Background:

• The UNFPA Humanitarian Thematic Fund (HTF) provides lifesaving commodities such as emergency birth kits and other medical kits required by maternity clinics, period products for women and girls as well as services such as support for survivors of rape
• The UK is providing £6 million to the Fund. In 2025, the Fund is supporting responses including large operations such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Syria as well as other crises such as Chad, South Sudan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. This builds on existing support the UK is already providing to UNFPA, announced in August: UK announces new support for women and girls in Gaza - GOV.UK