UK releases £5m for Gaza winter aid and urges Israel to open crossings

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty announced the additional funding in the House of Commons on 12 November. He said it would come from the UK’s bilateral budget and support UNICEF’s winter response, including its work following the floods.

Doughty said the UK had already provided UNICEF with £14 million this year for work including nutrition, health, water and winter preparation. He said UK support as a whole aimed to provide winter clothing for 100,000 children; he did not give a separate figure for what the new £5 million would deliver.

Heavy rain and strong winds damaged shelters and disrupted services across Gaza. By 8 November, aid workers had received appeals from more than 26,000 households whose shelters or belongings had been damaged, according to the UN humanitarian office OCHA. It said the figures were preliminary.

Doughty called on Israel to open crossings, starting with Erez in northern Gaza, and to allow more days for the entry of items that could have both civilian and military uses. He also asked Israel to shorten its list of such items and allow access for journalists, diplomats and foreign ministers.

On 13 November, the Humanitarian Country Team, which brings together UN agencies and aid groups, said more than 150,000 tents bought by humanitarian partners and governments were ready for dispatch outside Gaza. It said Israeli policies were obstructing essential supplies and that funding had also fallen short.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had rejected accusations on 11 November that Israel was delaying winter supplies. He blamed Hamas and said it seized humanitarian aid for military use. The Associated Press reported that he gave no evidence for the aid-seizure claim.