Research Briefing

31 October 2024

By Library specialists
West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK
aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Summary
1 Humanitarian situation and access
2 UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2023/24
3 UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA): Background
4 UN reviews of UNRWA’s neutrality, 2024
5 Israeli legislation on UNRWA 2024
6 Further reading and resources

[Link]
Number 9990 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Contents

1 Humanitarian situation and access 8

1.1 Where can I find information on the humanitarian situation? 8

1.2 What damage has occurred to infrastructure? 11

1.3 Which aid routes are open into Gaza? 11

1.4 What do UN agencies say are the challenges? 15

1.5 What has the UK said about aid access? 18

2 UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2023/24 22

2.1 How much UK aid is planned for 2023 to 2025? 22

2.2 How much aid has the UK provided previously? 23

2.3 What is UK aid spent on? 25

2.4 How is UK aid spent and monitored? 27

3 UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA): Background 31

3.1 What does UNRWA do? 31

3.2 How is the agency funded? 32

3.3 What is the state of the agency’s finances? 32

3.4 How has UNRWA responded to the 2023/24 conflict? 34

3.5 Evaluations of UNRWA 35

4 UN reviews of UNRWA’s neutrality, 2024 37

4.1 Allegations and creation of reviews, January 37

4.2 What did the Colonna review find on UNRWA neutrality? 38

4.3 UN Office of Oversight Services review 40

4.4 Which donors suspended funding? 41

4.5 Israeli, UN and Palestinian response 43

4.6 What has been the UK position? 44

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

5 Israeli legislation on UNRWA 2024 47

5.1 What is the background to the 2024 laws? 47

5.2 What Israeli legislation has been introduced? 47

5.3 What has been the UN and UNRWA response? 49

5.4 What has been the UK and international response? 50

6 Further reading and resources 53

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Summary

This briefing addresses questions about UK aid to the Occupied Palestinian

Territories (OPTs), aid access to Gaza, and the position and role of the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The Commons Library research briefing, Israel and the OPTs: UK response to
the conflict since July 2024 provides a summary of events in the 2023/24
Israel-Hamas conflict, the UK response, and negotiations on a ceasefire.

In line with Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office practice when

reporting past UK aid spending, this briefing primarily uses the term “West
Bank and Gaza Strip” rather than The Occupied Palestinian Territories.

What is the humanitarian situation?

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) publishes
daily updates on the humanitarian situation, including the level of
humanitarian need, casualties, damage to infrastructure, and aid access
(browse its homepage for ‘flash updates’ and ‘reported impact’). UN agencies
report significant infrastructure damage, including to schools and hospitals,
and the deaths of aid workers. They also warn that the risk of famine in Gaza
“persists”. A vaccination campaign against polio is also being carried out.

How much aid is entering Gaza?

The UK Government has backed UN Security Council resolutions demanding
an increase of humanitarian aid for Gaza. The UK has also called on Israel to
adhere to its commitment to increase the number of aid trucks to 500. The UK
Government has also called on Israel to re-open the Rafah crossing with
Egypt, which has been closed since Israel captured the crossing on 8 May
2024.

UNOCHA figures from October 2024 report that the highest daily average of
arrivals occurred in April 2024, when 169 trucks entered each day (this does
not include fuel trucks). This stood at 36 per day from 1 to 27 October 2024
(this data does not include commercial vehicles entering Gaza).

In October 2024 the United States called on Israel to substantially increase

the number of aid trucks entering Gaza, and set a daily target of 350 trucks (a
figure not achieved, according to the UN data cited above). The US has
warned not to do so may have implications for US military support to Israel.

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

The UK Government has also criticised Israel for the level of humanitarian aid
arriving into northern Gaza and in October 2024 said it will “not tolerate any
more excuses from Israel on humanitarian assistance”. Israel said that there
has been no halt on the entry or coordination of aid into northern Gaza. This
followed UNOCHA reports stating no humanitarian food assistance had
entered northern Gaza from 30 September to 13 October 2024.

What UK aid has been committed?

For 2023/24, the UK committed over £100 million in aid to the OPTs (around
US$126 million). A total of £35 million was provided to UNRWA before funding
was suspended in January (see below). The UK has announced £52 million in
specific pledges for 2024/25, including £10 million, via the World Bank, for the
Palestinian Authority (in the West Bank), to pay public sector salaries, and for
Unicef in Gaza. It also includes £21 million for UNRWA, announced in July.

How does the UK monitor its spending?

The UK Government states no aid is provided to Hamas, who have governed
the Gaza Strip since 2007, and who are designated a terrorist organisation by
the UK and are subject to UK sanctions.

Due to “prioritisation exercises” in the aid budget, the UK has not provided
direct aid to Palestinian Authority since 2021, though some technical
assistance is provided through commercial organisations.

The government says all UK aid to the OPTs “undergoes rigorous oversight”.
This includes field visits, annual audits, due diligence assessments, and
mapping of downstream partners of the funding.

The government also has a memorandum of understanding with the

Palestinian Authority, in which the Authority commits to uphold the principles
of non-violence, respect international law and commit to taking action
against incitement to violence (among other principles of the memorandum).
The UK raises any concerns directly with the Palestinian Authority.

Around half of UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip is delivered through
UNRWA, rather than through local authorities or civil society groups.

Suspension of future funding to UNRWA

UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide assistance and services for
Palestinian refugees displaced between 1948 and 1948 and their descendants.
UNRWA works in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Israel, Jordan,
Lebanon, and Syria and supports around 5.9 million people.

In January 2024, alongside other donors including the European Union and
United States, the UK said it would pause future funding decisions on UNRWA

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

in response to reports that “several” UNRWA staff were involved in the 7

October Hamas assault against Israel. UNRWA sacked some staff following
the allegations. The agency also called for donor funding to be resumed to
ensure the continuity of its work. While the European Union, France and
Germany have since resumed funding, the US has passed legislation
disallowing funding until at least March 2025 (PDF).

In January the UK Government said it had made all its planned contributions
to UNRWA in the 2023/24 financial year (£35 million) before its decision to
pause future funding. It said it would await the findings of two UN inquiry
assessments and UNRWA making “detailed undertakings” before deciding.

The first report of two UN-commissioned investigations was published on 22

April. This set out 50 recommendations for UNRWA, including more screening
of UNRWA staff. UNRWA and the UN accepted the recommendations in full,
while Israel argued these were “cosmetic” changes and says it will no longer
work with UNRWA. The review also noted that in 2024 Israel had not provided
supporting evidence that UNRWA staff were members of terrorist groups.

Following the conclusion of the second review by the UN Office of Oversight

Services (OIOS) in August 2024, UNRWA sacked nine staff who “may have
been involved” in the 7 October 2023 assault. The OIOS noted that they had
not been able to independently verify information provided by Israel to
support allegations on UNRWA staff involvement in the assault.

In July 2024, Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced UK funding would

resume, and pledged £21 million in 2024, including £1 million to support
reform. He welcomed the UN review and UNRWA’s implementation plan to
ensure it meets the “highest standards of neutrality”. The government also
said that it would monitor UNRWA’s progress on implementing its action plan
and continue to conduct its own annual assessment of UK funding to UNRWA.

Israeli legislation against UNRWA, 2024

In October 2024 the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed two bills which will
ban Israeli officials from engaging with UNRWA and UNRWA from working in
Israeli territory. The measures will come into effect in 90 days’ time. Israel’s
Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said UNRWA staff with links to
Hamas must be held accountable and that Israel will work with international
partners on next steps. Israel has said it will work with other UN agencies,
such as the World Food Programme, to deliver humanitarian aid. It has
previously proposed that UNRWA be replaced in a post-conflict Gaza.

UNRWA, the UN Secretary General, the UK Government, European Union and

United States are among those to have criticised the legislation. Norway has
said it plans to bring the issue to a vote in the UN General Assembly on
whether to refer the legislation to the International Court of Justice for an
advisory opinion to clarify if the laws violate international law.

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

1 Humanitarian situation and access

In line with the practice of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development

Office (FCDO) when reporting past UK aid spending, this briefing primarily
uses the term “West Bank and Gaza Strip” rather than The Occupied
Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The FCDO’s forward-plans use the term OPTs.

UK Government advice for those making donations

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office page, Gaza: What you
can do to help, provides advice for individuals and companies making safe
donations to support the humanitarian response in Gaza.

1.1 Where can I find information on the

humanitarian situation?
During active conflicts and because of the challenges that journalists,
researchers and civil society organisations have with accessing conflict zones,
reports on specific stories and accurate statistics can be difficult to verify.

UN situation reports and other agencies

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) provides
daily updates on casualties, the numbers of internally-displaced people,
damage to housing and infrastructure, and other information relating to the
humanitarian situation: Current hostilities in Gaza and Israel: Impact since 7
October 2023 (browse the page for ‘flash updates’ and ‘reported impact’).

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA) also issues daily situation reports. Unicef also publishes State of
Palestine situation reports, with a focus on children and Unicef work.

In October 2024 the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)

reported that the “risk of famine persists” across the whole of Gaza if the
conflict continues and aid access is restricted. It reported that 133,000 people
were currently in phase 5 of food insecurity (classed as “Catastrophe/Famine”

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

in the IPC’s food insecurity scale (PDF). It said the whole territory at level four
(“emergency”). 1

Israel argues that the IPC report had methodological weaknesses and says it
places no limits on the amount of aid, including food, that can enter Gaza. 2

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the threat of disease.
The first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years was confirmed in August 2024. In
2023, polio vaccination coverage in Gaza stood at 89%, down from 99% in
2022. 3

Pauses in fighting to allow for vaccination began on 1 September.4 The first

round of vaccinations were completed on 12 September, in which 560,000
children were vaccinated. A second round of vaccinations were planned to
take place in October 2024 but were delayed due to displacement. 5

Several aid agencies continue to work in the Gaza Strip, which publish their
own updates and statements. These include Médecins Sans Frontières, the
Palestine Red Crescent Society and the International Red Cross.

Casualty figures
Current casualty figures referenced by UNOCHA in its ‘flash updates’ are
provided by the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry (for Palestinians) and
the Israeli Government (for Israelis). UNOCHA says it will verify final casualty
figures against “at least two independent and reliable sources” (except in the
case of Israeli injuries, which the UNOCHA checks against media reports). 6

More information on how casualty figures are reported and the challenges
involved is provided in BBC Verify articles How the dead are counted in Gaza
(16 November 2023) and Gaza war: Why is the UN citing a lower death toll for
women and children (16 May 2024) and a Reuters article, How many
Palestinians have died in Gaza? Death toll explained (9 December 2023).

Existing humanitarian need in the region

The Occupied Palestinian Territories and neighbouring states host an already
high number of refugees, including 5.9 million Palestinian refugees registered
with UNRWA (2.5 million are based in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank).

The following are registered with UNRWA, which is mandated solely to

support Palestinian refugees: Jordan 3.1 million, Lebanon 1.3 million, and

1
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, Gaza: Acute malnutrition, 17 October 2024
2
“Multiple factual flaws”: Israel contests UN-backed report […], Times of Israel, 30 March 2024;
Israeli Government, Swords of Iron: humanitarian efforts, updated 7 May 2024
3
WHO, Gaza: first polio case confirmed, 23 August 2024
4
UN, Gaza: Polio vaccination campaign moves to southern areas, 5 September 2024
5
WHO, Around 560,000 children vaccinated in first round of polio campaign, 13 September 2024;
North Gaza polio vaccinations delayed […], BBC News, 23 October 2024
6
UNOCHA, Data on casualties

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Syria 600,000 (in addition to the nearly 7 million Syrians internally displaced
due to its civil war). Egypt currently hosts around 300,000 refugees
registered with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), around half of whom are
from Syria. 7

UNRWA and other agencies supporting the general refugee population have
been subject to funding pressures (see section 3 of this briefing) which have
affected it support it can provide. 8 Jordan’s government has also warned of
increasing water scarcity due to population pressures. 9

Humanitarian need was also high in the Gaza Strip before the conflict:
UNRWA had planned to provide emergency food assistance to 1.2 million
Palestinian refugees in the Gaza in 2023. 10

General resources on humanitarian need in the OPTs

• UN, $2.8 billion appeal for three million people in Gaza, West Bank, 17
April 2024
• World Bank, Gaza Strip interim damage assessment, March 2024
• World Bank, Impacts of the conflict in the Middle East on the Palestinian
economy, September 2024
• UNOCHA, Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian response plan,
January 2023. It estimated 2.1 million people were in humanitarian need.
• UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Report on UNCTAD
assistance to the Palestinian people: Developments in the economy of the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, September 2023. Provides background on
the economy, unemployment, and poverty.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK-Occupied
Palestinian Territories development partnership summary, July 2023. UK
profile of humanitarian need in the OPTs and UK aid.

7
UNHCR, Refugees and other persons displaced by country—mid 2023 and UNHCR, Egypt factsheet
26 June 2023. Aside from Egypt, all figures for refugees registered with the UNHCR or the UNWRA.
8
World Food Programme, Tight funding forces WFP to reduce food assistance, 18 July 2023
9
See the International Development Committee, UK aid for refugee host countries, HC 426, 26 May
2023, section 2 to 4 for Jordan, Lebanon and the OPTs and Government response, 30 August 2023.
10
UNRWA, Occupied Palestinian Territory emergency appeal 2023, 19 January 2023, p13

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

1.2 What damage has occurred to infrastructure?

In April, the World Bank and UN issued an interim assessment of damage in
Gaza, covering the period from 7 October to 31 January 2024. It estimated
that a total of US$18.5 billion of damage has been caused and that:

• around 84% of health facilities have been damaged or destroyed. This

affects 649 health facilities and 29 hospitals (75% of Gaza’s hospitals).

• around 57% of water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure had been

damaged or destroyed.

• around 62% of Gaza’s electricity network has been damaged or

destroyed.

• around 62% of homes have been destroyed or damaged.

• all children were out of school. They say this was the third year out of the
last four that education has been “severely disrupted or completely
interrupted” and judge it likely “a full year of schooling will be lost”.

• of the 980 registered civil society organisations in Gaza, the “majority”

had ceased operations and activities. 11

As of 22 October 2024, UNOCHA says 17 of Gaza’s hospitals are partially

functional and 19 are out of service, all the three water pipelines coming from
Israel are partly operational, and at least 87% of school buildings require full
reconstruction or major rehabitation. 12 Since October 2023 every school in
Gaza has been closed.13

1.3 Which aid routes are open into Gaza?

The UN Secretary General, UK Government, and others have raised concerns
for the number of land crossings into Gaza and the level of aid arriving into
Gaza.

The UN Security Council and International Court of Justice have also

demanded an increase in aid: these are discussed in section 3 of the research
briefing, 2023/24 Israel-Hamas conflict: US, UN, EU and regional response.

11
World Bank and UN, Interim damage assessment: Gaza, 2 April 2024, pp10, 12, 15, 17
12
UNOCHA, Reported impact snapshot. The Gaza Strip (22 October 2024), 22 October 2024
13
Unicef, 45,000 first graders unable to start the new school year, 9 September 2024

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Provision of land crossings into Gaza

There are currently five land crossings into Gaza: at Rafah, operated by
Egyptian authorities and primarily used for people; Kerem Shalom, a goods
crossing between Israel and Gaza; the west Erez and Erez crossings from
Israel (also primarily used for people) and “Gate 96”, also from Israel.

1) Rafah crossing, open from mid-October 2023 and

closed from May 2024
Since the Hamas assault on Israel on 7 October 2023, access to the crossing
was mostly limited, until, following negotiations between Egypt, Israel and
the United States, Israel agreed to the reopening of the crossing for limited
humanitarian aid on 18 October 2023. 14 Rafah has been closed since 8 May,
when Israel began an offensive in the area and took control of the crossing. 15

2) Kerem Shalom, open from mid-December 2023,

partially closed in May
Kerem Shalom was opened to humanitarian aid from 17 December 2023. 16

In October 2023, the UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs

Martin Griffiths described Kerem Shalom as “the only crossing equipped to
rapidly process a sufficiently large number of trucks” of humanitarian aid. 17

It was closed from 5 to 8 May in response to a nearby Hamas rocket attack

before being reopened. 18 Since the closure of Rafah on 8 May, Kerem Shalom
has been designated as the primary crossing for humanitarian supplies. 19

3) “Gate 96”, from March

In March, a crossing in northern Gaza at “Gate 96” was opened. 20

4) and 5) Erez Gate, open from mid- April and

western Erez, open from mid-May
On 4 April, Israel said it would open Erez Gate, between northern Gaza and
Israel, to humanitarian aid for the first time since 7 October. The crossing can

14
Israel will let Egypt deliver some aid to Gaza, as doctors struggle to treat hospital blast victims, AP,
18 October 2023
15
Israel seizes Gaza’s vital Rafah crossing […], AP News, 8 May 2024
16
Aid enters Gaza through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing [...], Reuters, 17 December 2023
17
UNOCHA, Briefing to the UN Security Council […], 30 October 2023
18
Israel says reopening Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, Reuters, 8 May 2024
19
UNOCHA, Humanitarian access snapshot, 1-31 May 2024, 10 June 2024
20
Gate 96, the new crossing where aid struggles to get in, BBC News, 25 March 2024

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

handle up to fifty trucks a day. Israel says the first deliveries took place
through the crossing on 11 April (after being checked at Kerem Shalom). 21

The western Erez crossing was opened on 12 May 2024. 22

How many trucks are getting into Gaza?

UNOCHA publishes figures on the number of vehicles carrying aid that have
been able to cross into the Gaza Strip. It states that the pre-October 2023
average per working day was 500 trucks (around 15,000 a month), including
fuel trucks.
Due to UNOCHA not being able to verify private sector cargo at Kerem
Shalom, data for commercial trucks is no longer comparable after 7 May
2024. In October 2024, it reported the below statistics:
• From October 2023 to April 2024, the highest monthly average of
humanitarian trucks from the humanitarian (non-private) sector was in
April, at 4,952. The second highest value was 4,262 in March. The lowest
was 2,502 in November 2023 (figures for October 2023 are incomplete).

• From October 2023 to April 2024, the number of commercial trucks was
highest in March, at 731. It had increased from 43 in November 2023.

• From May 2024 to 27 October 2024, the highest number of humanitarian

trucks arriving into Gaza was in May, at 2,726. Their number has
decreased every month and stood at 971 from 1 to 27 October, or 36 a
day.

Most trucks have been sent through Rafah (until its closure in May 2024) and
Kerem Shalom. Since May, when it opened, the western Erez crossing has
facilitated the second highest number of truck deliveries. 23

UN agencies report that fuel shortages and a lack of reliability in deliveries

are continuing to hinder the operation of health facilities and other essential
services such as water, sanitation and hygiene, and there is also a shortage
of cooking gas, affecting bakeries. 24

On 13 October 2024 the US Secretaries of State and Defense told the Israeli
Government that it had 30 days in which to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza
or risk having some US military assistance ended. It said that Israel had
impeded or denied 90% of humanitarian movements between north and

21
Israeli military says first aid trucks entered Gaza […], Reuters, 12 April 2024; Is Israel meeting
promise to let more aid into Gaza?, BBC News, 12 April 2024
22
Gaza war: UN hopes for new western Erez aid crossing, BBC News, 13 May 2024
23
UNOCHA, Reported impact snapshot: Gaza Strip (29 October 2024), 29 October 2024
24
UNOCHA, Gaza humanitarian response update, 8-12 July 2024, 24 July 2024

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

south Gaza over the previous month, contributing to an “accelerated

deterioration” of the humanitarian situation:

We are particularly concerned that recent actions by the Israeli government -

including halting commercial imports, denying or impeding nearly 90% of
humanitarian movements between northern and southern Gaza in September,
continuing burdensome and excessive dual-use restrictions, and instituting
new vetting and onerous liability and customs requirements for humanitarian
staff and shipments - together with increased lawlessness and looting - are
contributing to an accelerated deterioration in the conditions in Gaza.

[…] Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and

maintaining these measures may have implications for U.S. policy under NSM-
20 and relevant U.S. law [weapons supply] […] 25

The letter was intended to be a private communication between the

governments but was reported in the media. The US State Department has not
set out what military assistance may be curtailed. 26

Sea and air routes

While the UK and its partners have also used sea and air routes to deliver aid,
they have stressed these are not a replacement to land routes.

Ashdod Port, open from mid-April

Ashod is one of Israel’s main container ports. On 17 April, the first
humanitarian aid shipment from the port, of eight trucks, was sent into Gaza
(entering via the Kerem Shalom crossing). 27

Earlier, in January, the US Administration had announced Israel would allow

flour to be shipped via Israel’s Ashdod Port. 28

Maritime corridor and US temporary pier

On 8 March 2024, the US President, Joe Biden, announced that US troops will
construct a temporary pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip to increase the
delivery of humanitarian aid. Cyprus, the European Commission, Qatar, the
United Arab Emirates, and the UK gave their backing. However, these
governments also noted that “there is no substitute for land routes”. 29

25
US demands Israel improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza, Axios, 15 October 2024; US gives Israel
30 days to boost Gaza aid, BBC News, 15 October 2024
26
US Department of State Department press briefing, 15 October 2024
27
Humanitarian aid enters Gaza Strip via Ashdod port […], 17 April 2024
28
White House, Readout of President Joe Biden’s call […], 19 January 2024
29
US State Department, Joint statement on advancing a maritime corridor […], 13 March 2023

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Aid began arriving on the pier on 17 May, but the pier was then damaged by
weather. The pier closed in July. The US intends to send aid via Ashdod port. 30

In April, the UK had deployed RFA Cardigan Bay to the region to provide
accommodation for US personnel working to establish the pier. 31

Air drops in the Gaza Strip

Aid is also being delivered through air drops into Gaza, with the UK
conducting its first drop of four tonnes of aid alongside the Jordanian air
force on 21 February 2024. 32
To 9 May 2024, the UK has participated in a total of 12 airdrops, delivering an
average of 10 tonnes of food per drop. 33 In contrast, a single land shipment
from Jordan of UK aid on 13 March allowed 150 tonnes to be delivered. 34

Deaths of seven aid workers, 1 April 2024

UNOCHA report at least 306 aid workers have been killed during the conflict
from 7 October 2023 to 25 September 2024. This includes 288 UN staff. 35
On 1 April, seven aid workers (three of whom were British) were killed in an
Israeli air strike in Gaza while distributing aid. The UK Government summoned
the Israeli ambassador in response, “condemned” the attack, and called for
the “immediate” creation of a deconfliction mechanism. 36
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also spoke to Mr Netanyahu, stating he was
“appalled” by the killing of aid workers and demanded a “thorough and
transparent independent investigation” into the events. 37 The Israeli
Government said the attack was a “grave mistake” and will be investigated. 38
Following a phone call between President Biden and Prime Minister
Netanyahu, on 4 April Israel said it would open more aid corridors in Gaza.
President Biden said, “US policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by
our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these and other steps”. 39

1.4 What do UN agencies say are the challenges?

US sanctions on Israeli group attacking aid convoys

In June 2024, the US sanctioned Tzav 9, an Israeli group it said had been
blocking, harassing, and damaging convoys carrying aid into Gaza “for
months”. The State Department said that the US would “not tolerate acts of
sabotage and violence targeting this essential humanitarian assistance”. 40

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

In May 2024, the UK Government said such attacks were “appalling” and
Israel must hold the perpetrators to account. 41 Israel has arrested four of
those involved the 13 May attack on aid trucks, cited in the US decision. 42

See below, sections 3 and 5, for the position of UNRWA in 2024.

UNOCHA and World Food Program assessment

In its report on humanitarian aid deliveries for August 2024, UNOCHA noted
continuing access constraints for aid, including:

• “unpredictable and restrictive time windows for humanitarian

movements” into Gaza by Israeli authorities.

• “technical failures at the checkpoints” into Gaza.

• military action and hostilities, including “multiple incidents of shots

being fired towards, near or around humanitarian convoys as they
approach checkpoints”.

• lack of safe facilities and locations for humanitarian workers, in part due
to displacement and Israeli evacuation orders. 43

In September 2024 UNOCHA noted that humanitarian access to northern Gaza

had been “consistently hindered throughout September”. The Israel Defence
Forces control the area between north and south Gaza, and UNOCHA says
that while there are two checkpoints between the two, “only one is operated
at a time” and this results “in long delays and blockages” and when
“technical issues do occur no alternative is provided”. 44

In October, UNOCHA reported that the number of trucks entering Gaza was its
lowest since October 2023. In its report covering 30 September to 13 October,
it said that no humanitarian food assistance had been entering northern Gaza

30
US Defense Department, Aid to flow to Gaza via land route […], 18 July 2024
31
Ministry of Defence, Royal Navy ship joins international effort […], 26 April 2024
32
FCDO, UK and Jordan drop-life saving aid to Gaza hospital, 21 February 2024.
33
Independent Commission for Aid Impact, UK humanitarian aid to Gaza, 21 May 2024, para 3.14
34
FCDO, Major humanitarian push […], 13 March 2024; HC Deb, 21 March 2024, c805
35
UNOCHA, Report impact snapshot. Gaza Strip (25 September 2024), 25 September 2024
36
FCDO, FCDO summons Israeli ambassador over death of aid workers, 2 April 2024
37
Prime Minister’s Office, PM call with Prime Minister Netanyahu, 2 April 2024
38
Israel acknowledges killing seven aid charity workers […], Times of Israel, 2 April 2024
39
White House, Statement from National Security Council spokesperson […], 4 April 2024
40
US Department of State, Sanctioning Israeli group for disrupting and destroying humanitarian aid
to civilians, 14 June 2024
41
PQ 27350 [Gaza: Humanitarian aid], 24 May 2024
42
US sanctions far-right group behind attacks on aid convoys […], Times of Israel, 14 June 2024
43
UNOCHA, Humanitarian access snapshot—Gaza strip, August 2024, 20 September 2024
44
UNOCHA, Humanitarian access snapshot—Gaza strip, September 2024, 29 October 2024

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

from 2 October 2024. 45 Israel has said food trucks have subsequently entered
northern Gaza. 46

On 30 May, the World Food Programme (WFP) also described the west Erez
crossing as “functional, but not reliable” and Gate 96 and Erez as
“inaccessible”. It also said it was struggling to access Kerem Shalom “due to
the active conflict, impassable roads, unexploded ordnance, fuel shortages,
delays at checkpoints, and Israeli restrictions”. 47

Cited challenges facing the distribution of aid once it arrives in the Gaza Strip
include a lack of fuel, damage to infrastructure and roads, some break-ins at
UN warehouses, and displaced Palestinians being housed in UN buildings. 48

Israeli Government statements and actions

Israel cites the use of civilian facilities by Hamas, the hijacking and looting of
aid, and lack of protection for civilians by Hamas as reasons why the
humanitarian situation has worsened in Gaza. It says it conducts security
checks on aid to ensure that no military supplies are smuggled into Gaza and
is seeking to reduce the congestion at crossing points. 49
In April, Israel’s Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, said the country would aim
for 500 trucks to enter Gaza each day. 50
In May 2024, the Israeli Defence Forces announced daily pauses in the fighting
on the road that leads from Kerem Shalom to the outskirts of Rafah to
facilitate the delivery of aid. This followed the opening of three crossings from
March to May 2024 (see above). 51
No statements have been made on when the Rafah crossing may reopen: in
June the Egyptian Government stated it cannot reopen the crossing until
Israel hands it to Palestinians on the Gaza side. 52
The Israeli Government says it is actively facilitating the delivery of aid to
Gaza. 53 In September, it said its aid efforts were “unparalleled” and it has
“made it clear” it is willing to work with “cooperate agencies”. 54 In October
2024, it said it had been making “extensive efforts” on aid access and “several
concrete steps are expected to be implemented soon”. 55

45
UNOCHA, Gaza humanitarian response update, 30 September-13 October 2024, 16 October 2024
46
Israel says 237 aid trucks entered northern Gaza in past 9 days, Times of Israel, 23 October 2024
47
World Food Programme, WFP calls for all access points to be opened […], 30 May 2024
48
Gaza aid distribution struggles amid overcrowding, debris, lack of fuel, Reuters, 31 October 2023
49
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel-Hamas conflict 2023: Humanitarian efforts, 16 December 2023
50
Is Israel meeting promise to let more aid into Gaza?, BBC News, 12 April 2024
51
IDF announces daily pause in fighting along key south Gaza road, Times of Israel, 16 June 2024
52
Rafah border crossing can’t reopen unless Israeli forces quiet Gaza side, Reuters, 3 June 2024
53
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hamas-Israel conflict 2023: FAQs, 8 December 2023
54
UN, How aid is (and is not) getting into Gaza, 16 September 2024
55
Gaza aid falls to lowest level since start of war despite US warning, FT, 30 October 2024

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

In June, it called upon the UN to scale up its logistical efforts to collect and
distribute aid to address congestion at Kerem Shalom. 56
See below, section 5, for Israeli legislation on UNRWA in 2024.

UN Coordination with Israeli authorities

Checks are carried out before aid enters Gaza by Israel to ensure that no
weapons are smuggled in to be used by Hamas (see above, page 17).

In October 2024 UNOCHA said that there had been 667 planned humanitarian
coordination movements with the Israeli authorities in September 2024. This
was up from 598 in August and 349 in May. Of the 667 in September, UNOCHA
said that “138 were denied approval to move by Israeli forces” (21% of the
total, down from 29% in August) and that of 91 that needed to move between
north and south Gaza, “only 8% were facilitated by Israeli forces”.

UNOCHA had described its activity in August 2024 as the “most challenging
month for humanitarian access since January 2024” due to 46% of requests
being denied or impeded. 57

The total number of planned coordinated missions was higher than the 74 in
January and 191 in March. 58

1.5 What has the UK said about aid access?

Committee reports and statements

On 1 March 2024, the Commons International Development Committee (IDC)
published a report on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The Committee noted the challenges and delays in the delivery of aid through
land crossings and the “drop in the ocean” represented by air drops of aid. It
argued that while Israel was not “preventing aid getting into Gaza by road” it
had “established a deeply bureaucratic, logistically complex system for aid
access which slows the process down and costs lives”. 59

56
COGAT pushes UN to “scale up” and distribute aid, Times of Israel, 20 June 2024
57
UNOCHA, Humanitarian access snapshot—Gaza strip, September 2024, 29 October 2024 and
UNOCHA, Humanitarian snapshot—Gaza strip August 2024, 20 September 2024
58
UNOCHA, Humanitarian access snapshot—Gaza Strip, 1-31 May 2024, 10 June 2024; Humanitarian
access snapshot-Gaza strip—1-31 March 2024, 6 April 2024; Humanitarian access snapshot—Gaza
Strip, end-February 2024, 6 March 2024
59
This and next paragraphs from International Development Committee, Humanitarian situation in
Gaza, HC 110, 1 March 2024, paras 5, 7-12, 16, 33

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

The Committee recommended that the UK Government call for all existing
land crossings to be opened and put pressure on Israel “to speed up the
progress of aid through checkpoints and border crossings”. It argued that
“current border restrictions make it impossible to avert a famine”. 60

Then Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Alicia Kearns, also raised concerns for
“Israel’s arbitrary denials and lengthy clearance processes” for aid trucks
into Gaza and said Israel should open Ashdod port for humanitarian aid. 61

Conservative government assessment (to July 2024)

In May, the government accepted, or partially accepted, all of the IDC’s
recommendations on access, aid, and reconstruction. It said:

As the occupying power in Gaza, Israel must ensure that humanitarian aid […]
is available to people in Gaza. Israel needs to open more crossings, for longer,
with fewer restrictions on what is allowed in. 62

The government called for humanitarian pauses to allow the increased

delivery of aid and supported resolutions to this effect at the UN Security
Council. 63 In January, it appointed a representative for humanitarian affairs in
the OPTs, Mark Bryson-Richardson, to identify “bottlenecks” at crossings. 64

In March 2024, during proceedings in the House of Lords and in

correspondence with the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, the Foreign
Secretary, Lord Cameron, said that while getting aid into Gaza and
organising its distribution is complex, Israel “is the country that could make
the greatest difference”. He argued that the Israeli Government should:

• Open Ashdod port (a port in Israel, as part of a proposed maritime

corridor—this was opened to aid in April 2024).

• Issue more visas to UN workers capable of delivering humanitarian aid

when it reaches Gaza. 65

In March, the Foreign Secretary also said that it is of “enormous frustration”

to the UK Government that “UK aid for Gaza has been routinely held up
waiting for Israeli permissions” at border crossings. He said that:

The main blockers remain arbitrary denials by the Government of Israel and
lengthy procedures, including multiple screenings and narrow opening
windows in daylight hours […]

60
IDC, Humanitarian situation in Gaza, HC 110, 1 March 2024, para 69
61
Foreign Affairs Committee, Foreign Secretary: “Enormous frustration” […], 21 March 2024
62
Government response to the IDC report on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, 8 May 2024, para 20
63
Commons Library research briefing, 2023/24 Israel-Hamas conflict: US, UN, EU and regional
response, section 2
64
FCDO, Israel must act now to let aid through and save lives in Gaza […], 12 January 2024
65
HL Deb, 12 March 2024, c1913

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Increasing the number of trucks going into Gaza is vital […] The Prime Minister
[Rishi Sunak] and I [the Foreign Secretary] have raised this consistently with
the Government of Israel. 66

In April, the government welcomed the Israeli announcement that it would

open the Port of Ashdod and Erez checkpoint for aid, and its commitment to
increase the number of aid trucks to at least 500 a day. 67
In response to the closure of Rafah crossing in May, the UK “urged” Israel to
reopen all crossings, including Rafah. 68

Statements of Labour government (from July 2024)

In July 2024, Foreign Secretary David Lammy reiterated the UK’s position that
the Rafah crossing should reopen, and that:
Much, much more aid must enter Gaza—Israel promised a “flood of aid” back
in April [2024], but imposes impossible and unacceptable restrictions. 69

In September, the UK Government reiterated its view to the UN Security

Council that “Israel must fulfil its commitment to flood Gaza with
humanitarian aid” and that “sadly this has not materialised”. 70 Mr Lammy
also told the Commons when explaining the UK decision to suspend some
arms exports licences to Israel that:
Israel’s actions in Gaza continue to lead to immense loss of civilian life,
widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure and immense suffering. In
many cases, it has not been possible to reach a determinative conclusion on
allegations regarding Israel’s conduct of hostilities, in part because there is
insufficient information either from Israel or other reliable sources to verify
such claims. Nevertheless, it is the assessment of His Majesty’s Government
that Israel could reasonably do more to ensure that lifesaving food and
medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza, in the light of the appalling
humanitarian situation. 71

In October 2024, the UK Representative to the UN Security Council, Dame

Barbara Woodward, said that there was “no justification for denying civilians
access to essential supplies in Gaza” and that Israel must do more:
We remain very concerned too about the severe impacts of these strikes on
civilian infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, which face critical
shortages in medical supplies, food and water. Israel must comply fully with
international humanitarian law. As my Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] has said,
the world will not tolerate any more excuses from Israel on humanitarian
assistance.

66
Foreign Secretary to Foreign Affairs Committee, letter of 15 March 2024 (PDF)
67
FCDO, Foreign Secretary responds to Israeli changes on aid access, 5 April 2024
68
FCDO, We urge Israel to let humanitarian aid enter Gaza through all crossings, 20 May 2024
69
HC Deb, 19 July 2024, cc300, 310
70
FCDO, Israel and Hamas must agree a deal urgently, 27 September 2024
71
HC Deb, 2 September 2024, c38

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

There is no justification for denying civilians access to essential supplies. The

Government of Israel must do more to protect civilians, civilian infrastructure,
and allow aid to be delivered safely and at scale. Related to this, reports that
UN agencies have had to postpone the rollout of the polio vaccine campaign in
northern Gaza are deeply disturbing. Israeli authorities must allow aid workers
to carry out this work safely and securely. 72

The Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, has raised UK concerns on
the level of aid access to Gaza with the Israeli ambassador to the UK. Mr
Falconer said that the UK “continue[s] to press Israel for safe distribution of
aid and an improved deconfliction mechanism to keep humanitarian
operations safe from military operations”. 73

72
FCDO, There is no justification for denying civilians in Gaza access to […] aid, 29 October r2024
73
PQ 4459 [Gaza: humanitarian aid], 12 September 2024

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

2 UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip

in 2023/24

2.1 How much UK aid is planned for 2023 to 2025?

The FCDO reports on UK aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a

whole, rather than between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The UK Government says it has pledged “more than” £100 million in aid to the
OPTs in 2023/24. 74 The FCDO’s summary page, Humanitarian situation in
Gaza, currently details aid totalling £101.25 million. Before the Hamas assault
in Israel on 7 October 2023, the UK had pledged £27 million for the OPTs in two
separate announcements in July and September 2023. 75

Aid funding to the OPTs from the FCDO

£ millions, not adjusted for inflation
120

100 Extra humanitarian

70.0 aid, from October
80
2023
Extra funding to
60
UNRWA, Sep 2023
40
Plans in 2022/23
20 10.0 FCDO Annual Report
25.7 29.0
17.0
0
2022/23 2023/24 2024/25

Sources: FCDO, Annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023, July 2023, p268, FCDO, Foreign Secretary
announces new support for almost 6 million Palestinian refugees, 13 September 2023, FCDO,
Humanitarian situation in Gaza: The UK government’s response, updated 8 April 2024
The government says 80% of its aid in 2023/24 will be spent to address
humanitarian need, or to provide health, education, or protection services for
Palestinian refugees, 76 and be spent through “trusted partners” like the UN. 77

74
FCDO, Major humanitarian push as 150 tonnes of UK aid enter Gaza, 13 March 2024
75
FCDO, Annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023, July 2023, p268 and FCDO, Foreign Secretary
announces new support for almost 6 million Palestinian refugees, 13 September 2023
76
PQ 1280 [Gaza: Humanitarian aid], 17 November 2023
77
Prime Minister’s Office, UK announces £10m humanitarian aid for civilians in Occupied Palestinian
Territories, 16 October 2023

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

The government says its funding includes £7.8 million to the UN Children’s
Fund, Unicef, £8.3 million to the World Food Programme and £7.8 million to
the Red Cross/Red Crescent. 78 It also provides £35 million to UNRWA in
2023/24. 79 The UK has also funded the establishment of a field hospital. 80

Separately, the Scottish Government has announced £750,000 towards

UNRWA in the Gaza Strip. 81

Spending in 2024
In July 2023, the government said it planned £29 million for the OPTs in
2024/25. It has made five announcements on spending in 2024:

• June: £15 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority, to be spent via the
World Bank. This will pay public sector salaries, support essential
services and fund anti-corruption and other reforms. 82

• July: £5.5 million, for the charity UK-Med. 83

• July: £21 million for UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in
the Near East (UNRWA) (see below, section 4). 84

• August: £6 million for Unicef, the UN children’s fund, in Gaza.

• September: Together with Kuwait a joint £4.5 million for Unicef (covering
Unicef work in both Gaza and Yemen). 85

The government has also committed to provide funding for recovery and
reconstruction efforts in Gaza. In September 2024, it said that “planning for
that must start now” and be “Palestinian-led”. The government said it was
committed to working with other countries and others on the issue. 86

2.2 How much aid has the UK provided previously?

UK bilateral aid
From 2009 to 2023, the UK provided a total of £819.1 million in bilateral aid
(aid for a specific programme or purpose) to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

78
PQ 14108 [Gaza: Humanitarian aid], 21 February 2024
79
PQ 18533 [UNRWA: Finance], 13 March 2023
80
FCDO, Largest UK aid delivery enters Gaza to feed 275,000 people, 20 March 2024
81
Scottish Government, Humanitarian aid for Gaza, 2 November 2023
82
FCDO, UK contributes financial aid to the OPTs to increase stability, 1 June 2024
83
FCDO, Foreign Secretary calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza […], 15 July 2024
84
See section 4 of the Commons Library research briefing, UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip
85
FCDO, UK and Kuwait agree new partnership to provide vital aid, 4 September 2024
86
PQ 3371 [Gaza: reconstruction], 9 September 2024

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

The amounts given have varied over time. In 2022, the UK gave £22.5 million,
the lowest amount in any year since 2009, but in 2023 this increased to £42
million.

UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip

£ millions, bilateral aid, not adjusted for inflation

83
81
76
69
61 63 61
51 49 52
43 41 42

23 23

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Source: FCDO, Statistics on international development, various years

UK aid through other channels

In addition to bilateral aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the UK
also provides support through multilateral organisations such as UNRWA. For
more on UNRWA, see sections 3 and 4.

As the chart below shows, total UK bilateral aid and contributions to the core
budget of UNRWA totalled £1,743 million from 2009 to 2023. In recent years,
UK aid to UNRWA totalled £95.1 million in 2019, £86.0 million in 2020, £33.3
million in 2021, £26.0 million in 2022, and £48.8 million in 2023. 87

Not all aid provided to UNRWA’s core budget will have been spent in the
OPTs, because the agency also provides support to Palestinian refugees in
Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Both total UK aid to the OPTs and core contributions to UNRWA peaked in
2019. In the years since then, levels of aid have fallen. In 2022 they were lower
than at any point since at least 2009, but levels did then recover somewhat in
2023. In October 2022 the government said its spending allocations were
made in line with “UK strategic priorities against a challenging financial
climate”. 88

In every year since 2014, at least half of the aid listed above has gone either to
UNRWA directly or to other organisations via it.

87
For financial years, see PQ 18833 [UNRWA: Finance], 25 March 2024
88
PQ 59762 [Palestinians: Development aid], 13 October 2022

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and UNRWA

£ millions, not adjusted for inflation
200 Bilateral aid (direct) Bilateral via other multilaterals
Bilateral via UNRWA Core contribution to UNRWA
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Source: FCDO, Statistics on international development, various years.

2.3 What is UK aid spent on?

UK aid strategy and priorities

The FCDO has six specific aims for its work in the OPTs which are set out in the
2023 UK–OPTs development partnership summary. Note the Palestinian
Authority only governs the West Bank. Hamas governs the Gaza Strip.

1. Limit deterioration in security across the OPTs: through supporting a more

accountable and inclusive PA [Palestinian Authority] security service.

2. A viable and more transparent and accountable Palestinian Authority,

supported by a strong and open civil society: through technical
assistance and expertise and through strengthening the capacity of civil
society.

3. Reduced degradation of Palestinian rights, access to land and identity

and promote adherence to international law.

4. Improve inclusive economic opportunities for Palestinians through: trade;

investment; and infrastructure, particularly renewable energy and clean
water.

5. Limit deterioration of humanitarian needs and sustain protection of

Palestinian refugees, through policy engagement and funding support to
UNRWA; responding to humanitarian crises; child focused social
protection; and strengthening mental health services.

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

6. Promote UK values and soft power: through increased empowerment of

women and inclusion; improving the quality of education; and promoting
climate resilience. 89

Thematic and programme spending

Most UK bilateral aid from 2009 to 2023 has been for the government and civil
society sector (51%), followed by humanitarian aid (10%). 90

For the most recent year of aid spending (2023), the three largest single UK
aid projects were all run by UN agencies. The largest was £10 million for the
UNRWA’s flash appeal “to facilitate initial emergency response to the
escalation in Gaza”, followed by £8.8 million to UNOCHA’s Occupied
Palestinian Territories' Humanitarian Fund, and £3.9 million to UNICEF for
social protection for vulnerable households.

For a list of UK programmes, see the FCDO’s page on the OPTs.

There have been years when sectors other than ‘government and civil society’
have been dominant. However, this may be at least partly because of how
projects appear in the published statistics.

For example, health appears to dominate the statistics in 2017, but this is
because the UK’s entire £45 million payment in financial assistance to the
Palestinian Authority in that year was categorised in the UK’s published data
under health. The sectoral breakdown is different in the FCDO’s webpage
covering this payment, implying that this categorisation may have changed.

UK bilateral aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, by sector

£ millions, not adjusted for inflation
Government and civil society Humanitarian aid
100
Health Other social infra/services
Econ infra and services All others
80

60

40

20

0
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

Source: FCDO, Statistics on international development, various years

89
FCDO, UK-OPT development partnership summary, 17 July 2023
90
This section sourced from FCDO, Statistics on international development, various years

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

2.4 How is UK aid spent and monitored?

No direct aid to Hamas

No UK aid is provided to Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip and is a
proscribed terrorist group in the UK and subject to UK sanctions. 91 The UK
Government says the proscription of Hamas does not impede the ability of
international non-governmental organisations to deliver legitimate
humanitarian aid to the population. 92

On 14 November 2023 the UK issued a general licence to facilitate the delivery

of humanitarian aid and funding from the UN and other select humanitarian
organisations to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This licence provides for
limited exemptions from the UK sanctions regime for humanitarian funding
and material only. 93

Monitoring of UK aid and steps to avoid aid diversion

The government says all funding to the OPTs “undergoes rigorous
oversight”. 94 In the Gaza Strip, the government states it has:

strong controls in place to monitor spending, including enhanced due

diligence assessments, annual audits, and field visits; all to ensure UK aid
reaches its intended beneficiaries and achieves value for money for the UK
taxpayer. The UK’s funding agreements also commit partners to understand
and comply with UK and international counter terrorism legislation. 95

The government says additional safeguards were introduced in 2017. These

include “measures to verify and map downstream partners, non-payment of
local taxes, and enhanced due-diligence processes”. 96

In April 2024, the government said it had “no information” to indicate any UK
aid to Gaza since 2019 had been used for unintended purposes. 97

The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), which is responsible for
scrutinising UK aid spending, also says that in 2023/24 the UK has “prioritised
working with partners with a proven capacity to monitor and manage risk” in
emergency contexts. 98

91
Home Office, Islamist terrorist group Hamas banned in the UK, 26 November 2021 and HM Treasury,
Current list of designated persons: Counter terrorism (international), 16 June 2022, pp3-4
92
PQ 118512 [Non-governmental organisations: Gaza], 4 February 2022
93
Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation and FCDO, OFSI General Licence INT/2023/3749168, 14
November 2023
94
Prime Minister’s Office, UK announces £10m humanitarian aid […], 16 October 2023
95
PQ 94457 [Gaza: Humanitarian aid], 11 January 2022
96
HC Deb, 8 November 2023, c140
97
PQ HL 3703 [Gaza: Humanitarian aid], 12 April 2024
98
Independent Commission for Aid Impact, UK humanitarian aid to Gaza, 21 May 2024

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

No direct aid to the Palestinian Authority since 2021

Since March 2021, the UK has not provided aid to the Palestinian Authority,
which governs the West Bank. It has provided technical assistance and advice
programmes to improve the Authority’s transparency and accountability. 99
These programmes are provided through commercial suppliers. 100

The government ended aid to the Palestinian Authority in 2021 as a result of

“prioritisation exercises” in the UK aid budget as part of the reduction in aid
spending from 0.7% of Gross National Income to 0.5%. 101

In 2017 around £45 million was provided in financial aid to the Authority, with
further payments of £20 million in each of 2018, 2019 and 2020. 102

Memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian

Authority
Before March 2021, aid to the Palestinian Authority was provided under a
Memorandum of Understanding with the FCDO. This had eight commitments,
including for the participants to:

• Uphold the principle of non-violence and seeks a negotiated two-state

solution to the Palestinian- Israeli conflict;

• Respect international law, relevant resolutions, previous agreements and

obligations; and

• Commit to action against incitement to violence, including addressing

allegations of incitement in the education curriculum [see page 27]. 103

The UK Government has not published its assessment on the adherence of the
Authority to these principles, though has raised concerns directly. 104

In response to parliamentary questions, in 2021 the government said the

Palestinian Authority “continues to demonstrate a credible commitment to
our agreements”, including against inciting violence or hatred. 105 In 2022 the
government judged the Authority had a “partially credible” commitment to
the principles but cited weaknesses such as human rights abuses and
domestic accountability. 106

In the past, the UK has also used a dedicated bank account for aid for the
Palestinian Authority’s health and education sectors, which was only paid to
workers who had been vetted. Each payment was individually audited to

99
FCDO, UK-OPT development partnership summary, 17 July 2023
100
PQ HL10142 [Palestinians: Development aid], 27 September 2023
101
PQ HL10489 [Palestinians: Development aid], 26 October 2023
102
FCDO, Statistics on international development, various years
103
FCDO, Support to the Palestinian Authority […]: Memoranda of understanding, March 2022
104
PQ 135435 [Development aid], 16 March 2022
105
PQ 49946 [Palestinian Authority], 23 September 2021
106
PQ 63915 [Palestinians: Development aid], 25 October 2022

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

ensure it reached the intended recipient. The UK Government said: “this

rigorous process means we are confident no UK aid is being diverted”. 107

UK spending via UN agencies

The UK also monitor aid spending through using multilateral organisations
such as the UN to deliver aid. These include UNRWA (see sections 3 and 4).

In 2022, aid also went through the World Bank’s International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, various UN agencies, non-governmental
organisations both within the OPTs and elsewhere, and UK-based institutions
such as the British Council. 108

The FCDO says it has an agreement in place with UNRWA on fraud reporting,
including quarterly monitoring visits. 109 In response to a parliamentary
question in October 2023 on monitoring spending by UNRWA, the
International Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell, said:

UNRWA operates in difficult circumstances, […] we talk to it all the time about
the proper use of these resources and we will do everything we can always to
make sure that they go to the intended place. 110

Questions on UK spending: Palestinian school textbooks

In 2020 and 2021, the Commons debated Palestinian school textbooks content
in response to reports they may incite racial hatred or violence. 111
Several studies of the content of Palestinian textbooks have been
undertaken. 112 Published in 2021, the Georg Eckert Institute for International
Textbook Research was commissioned by the EU and backed by the UK
Government. The Institute said its analysis of Palestinian textbooks “revealed
a complex picture”:
1) the textbooks adhere to UNESCO standards and adopt criteria that are
prominent in international education discourse, including a strong focus on
human rights, 2) they express a narrative of resistance within
the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and 3) they display an antagonism
towards Israel. 113

Both the EU and UK welcomed the report, with the UK Government stating it
“highlights meaningful progress [in the content of textbooks] but also
indicates that problematic content remains.” 114
The government said it did not fund any educational material issued by the
Palestinian Authority and raises concerns directly with it. UK support to
UNRWA is accompanied with “stringent attention to implementation of their
neutrality policy, including how they apply this to textbooks”. 115
For more information, see the Commons Library briefing on EU review into
Palestinian school textbooks, June 2021 and below, section 4.2.

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Questions on UK spending: “Martyr’s fund”

The Palestinian Authority’s Amended Basic Law of 2003 guarantees welfare
support for the “families of martyrs, prisoners of war, injured and disabled”,
including education, health and social insurance.
The United States and Israeli Governments argue these payments incentivise
and reward terrorism, particularly given the higher payments for longer
prison sentences. 116 In 2018, the United States introduced the Taylor Force Act,
which suspends US aid to the Palestinian Authority so long as it continues to
implement the existing prisoner payment policy. The Palestinian Authority has
defended the payments as “support for the victims of the occupation”. 117
The government states that, “no UK aid is used for payments to Palestinian
prisoners, or their families or the Martyrs Fund, nor has it ever been”. 118
It has called for reform. In 2022 the government said it raises the prisoner
payments system “at the highest level” of the Palestinian Authority:
Our clear and long-standing message to the Palestinian Authority (PA) is that
the prisoner payments system should be reformed so that it is needs based,
transparent and affordable. We continue to raise this with the highest
levels of the PA, most recently the British Consulate General Jerusalem raised
the matter with the Palestinian Prime Minister's Office in December 2022. We
also have robust safeguards in place to ensure that no UK aid is used for
payments to Palestinian prisoners, or their families or the Martyrs Fund and will
continue to raise this at the highest level. 119

107
PQ 64066 [Palestinians: Development aid], 1 June 2020
108
Internal UK Government aid includes the Ministry of Defence’s British Support Team providing
training to the Palestinian Authority Security Forces, as mentioned in PQ HL8534 from June 2018.
109
FCDO Development Tracker, Annual review 20456-published July 2022, section B
110
HC Deb, 24 October 2023, c721
111
HC Deb, Palestinian School curriculum: Radicalisation, 10 March 2020, cc51-75WH and HC Deb, 30
June 2021, cc44WH-66WH
112
For example, by the Israeli-based NGO, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in
School Education (IMPACT-se) and UNRWA statements, UNRWA improves safeguards on ensuring
adherence of educational materials with UN principles, 14 January 2021
113
Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, Report on Palestinian textbooks, 2021,
executive summary. The summary and full report expands on the conclusions quoted here.
114
PQ 15315 [Palestinians: Textbooks], 20 June 2022 and EU reporter, Lawmakers call on the EU to make
report on antisemitic Palestinian school textbooks public, 16 June 2021
115
PQ 15315 [Palestinians: Textbooks], 20 June 2022
116
US Department of State, Country reports on terrorism 2021: Israel, West Bank and Gaza, 2022; Full
text of Netanyahu’s 2018 address to AIPAC, Times of Israel, 6 March 2018
117
Statement by Mahmoud Abbas […] to the UN General Assembly (PDF), 24 September 2021
118
PQ HL10141 [Palestinians: Development aid], 27 September 2023
119
PQ 112078 [Palestinians: Terrorism], 30 December 2022

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

3 UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA):

Background

For the allegations made against several UN Relief and Works Agency for
Palestinian refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staff involvement in the 7
October assault against Israel, the suspension of funding by some donors,
and subsequent UN reviews and response, see below, section 4.

Section 5 discusses the legislation passed by the Israeli Parliament in 2024.

3.1 What does UNRWA do?

UNRWA was established in 1949 to carry out direct and relief works
programmes for Palestinian refugees.120 Its mandate was most recently
renewed in 2022, until 30 June 2026 (Israel voted against the renewal). It is
separate from other UN agencies, such as the UN Refugee Agency. 121

The 2022 UN General Assembly resolution on UNRWA’s operation states the

agency “continues to play a vital role” in supporting Palestinian refugees
through the provision of education, health, relief, and social services
programmes. “Palestinian refugees” refers to those displaced in the Arab-
Israeli conflicts from 1946 to 1948 and their descendants. 122

The 2023 resolution also recalls previous UN resolutions “stressing the

necessity of an accelerated return of displaced persons”. 123

This “right of return” for Palestinian refugees refers to the right to return to
land and properties in what is now Israel, and from which they left or were
forcibly displaced from between 1946 and 1948, in what Palestinians refer to
as the “Nakba”, or “catastrophe”. Israel has contested the “right of return”
and argues that UNRWA’s existence “perpetuates the narrative of the so-
called ‘right of return’ with the aim of eliminating the state of Israel”. 124 The

120
UNRWA, Palestinian refugees
121
UN, 77th session, 52nd meeting, GA/12481, 12 December 2022. UNRWA’s FAQ page has more on its
relationship with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
122
UN on the Question of Palestine, Operations UNRWA—GA resolution A/RES/78/73, 7 December 2023;
UNRWA, Palestinian refugees and Is the transfer to refugee status to descendants unique to
UNRWA?, accessed 30 October 2024
123
UN on the Question of Palestine, Operations UNRWA—GA resolution A/RES/78/73, 7 December 2023;
UNRWA, Palestinian refugees and Is the transfer to refugee status to descendants unique to
UNRWA?, accessed 30 October 2024
124
Netanyahu: UNRWA needs to depart from this work, Jerusalem Post, 7 January 2018

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

topic of Palestinian refugees was considered one of the “permanent/final

status” issues in the 1990s Oslo Peace Accord negotiations. No final
agreement on the issue was reached. 125

Around 5.9 million refugees are eligible for UNRWA support, and it works
across the West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria to support them.
It runs around 700 schools and 140 primary health care facilities and provides
1.8 million refugees with emergency food and cash assistance. This includes
1.2 million refugees in the Gaza Strip and 417,000 in Syria (2021 data). 126

There is high humanitarian need in some of the populations it helps. For

example, 93% of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon live in poverty according to
the December 2022 UNRWA survey. 127

3.2 How is the agency funded?

UNRWA is not part of the UN Assessed Contributions System, meaning its

projects, operations and appeals are funded by voluntary contributions. 128

UNRWA is primarily funded through contributions from UN member states, as

well as the European Union. These constitute around 93% of the agency’s
funds. The remainder comes from other UN agencies and some businesses,
charities, and individuals. 129

3.3 What is the state of the agency’s finances?

In June 2023, UNRWA said it had suffered from “ten years of chronic
underfunding”. It said this impacted on the quality of its services, restricted
its cash assistance programmes, led to larger class sizes for schoolchildren,
and a struggle to “address emerging crises”, including the legacy of the
Covid-19 pandemic on education. 130

The agency cannot borrow money to fund its work and so, where there are
shortfalls, it has either delayed payments to suppliers or reduced wages for

125
Right of return: Palestinian dream, BBC News, 15 April 2004. For more on this and other
“permanent/final status” issues and the Oslo process, see Commons Library research briefings
Middle East Peace process: historical background, 2010, and Camp David, the Al-Aqsa Intifada and
the prospects for the peace process, 2001
126
UNRWA, In action (PDF)
127
UNRWA, Lebanon: UNRWA—Protection monitoring report, Q4 2022, 6 December 2022
128
UNRWA, FAQs
129
UNRWA, How we are funded, accessed 8 August 2023
130
UNRWA, Pledges at funding conference not sufficient to cover UNRWA financial requirements from
September onwards, 2 June 2023

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

its workers. 131 Funding shortfalls meant UNRWA began 2023 with a debt of
US$75 million. 132

Funding has fallen from several sources in recent years:

• In 2018, the Trump Administration announced it would no longer fund the

agency, arguing it was “irredeemably flawed.” The US has historically
been the largest donor to UNRWA. 133 In 2021, the Biden Administration re-
started funding to UNRWA. 134

• Some Arab Gulf States have also reduced funding over the period. 135
Saudi Arabia, for example, pledged US$160 million in 2018, and made
smaller pledges in each subsequent year, falling to US$27 million in 2022.
It made no pledge in 2021. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) pledged
US$54 million in 2018, US$52 million in 2019, and fell to US$1 million in
2020. No pledges were made by the UAE in 2021 and 2022. 136

• The UK contribution has also fallen. In 2021, it stood at £28.7 million in

2021. This was down from £50.1 million in 2020, £60.5 million in 2019, and
£70.3 million in 2018. In October 2022, UNRWA said that “a return by the
UK to its 2018 level of funding would cover approximately half of UNRWA
financial gap in 2022.” 137

In 2023, the Commons IDC has said a new funding model for the agency
should be developed:

The cycle of mandate renewal and funding pledges fails to provide long-term
certainty for UNRWA and is a flawed model for providing municipal-style
services. When donors reduce funding to UNRWA, UNRWA cannot exclude
beneficiaries from receiving essential services, but it does not have the means
to continue providing these services at the same level and with the same
quality […] We heard stark warnings about the risk of radicalised groups
stepping into the void, with potentially dangerous consequences. 138

In its October 2023 response to the Committee, the Government said it

“remain[ed] concerned by the financial situation of the agency” and would
work to mobilise funding for UNRWA and diversify its sources of income. 139

131
UNRWA warns its deficit hurts refugees as it calls for steady funding, Devex, 11 March 2022 and
International Crisis Group, UNRWA’s reckoning: Preserving the UN agency serving Palestinian
refugees, 15 September 2023
132
Brookings, In one move, Trump eliminated US funding for UNRWA and the US role as Mideast
peacemaker, 7 September 2018 and UNRWA warns its deficit hurts refugees as it calls for steady
funding, Devex, 11 March 2022. See p17 of the Congressional Research Service’s The Palestinians:
Background and US relations (PDF), updated 27 October 2022
133
US ends all funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, CNN, 1 September 2018
134
Biden Administration to restore $235m in US aid to Palestinians, BBC News, 7 April 2021
135
UNRWA warns its deficit hurts refugees as it calls for steady funding, Devex, 11 March 2022
136
UNRWA, UNRWA funding donor charts, 2018-2022 (figures for end of calendar year).
137
UNRWA evidence to the IDC, 11 October 2022, p2
138
IDC, UK aid for refugee host countries, HC 426, 26 May 2023, para 40
139
FCDO response to the IDC report on UK aid for refugee host countries, 20 October 2023

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

3.4 How has UNRWA responded to the 2023/24

conflict?

Statements and activities

In response to the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2023/24, UNRWA has:

• Called for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and delivery of aid,

including fuel, to the Gaza Strip.

• Called for an adherence to international law and for the release of

hostages held by Hamas.

• Called for “adequate financial resources to lead the humanitarian

response”. 140

• Has around 1,120 UNRWA health staff in Gaza (September 2024). 141

UNRWA states that 222 of its staff have been killed since 7 October 2023 (to 26
September 2024). 142

More information on UNRWA’s activities and assessment of the situation in

the Gaza Strip during 2023 and 2024 can be found in its daily situation reports
(browse its homepage for ‘UNRWA situation report’).

Funding
UNRWA held a pledging conference for its work in July 2024. UN Secretary
General António Guterres said that UNRWA faced a “profound funding crisis”,
while the UNRWA Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, said that the
agency had raised sufficient funds to continue until at least the end of
September 2024. He said that the agency would be seeking additional funds
for its operations for the remainder of 2024. 143

UNRWA has not published an update of its funding pledges for 2024.

140
UN, More funding urgently needed as UNRWA struggles […], 3 November 2023
141
UNRWA, Situation report 125, 26 September 2024
142
UNRWA, Situation report 125, 26 September 2024
143
UN chief urges funds for Palestinians, The Independent, 13 July 2024

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

3.5 Evaluations of UNRWA

Henry Jackson Society, 2020

Simon Waldman, an associate fellow of the UK-based Henry Jackson Society
think tank, published a critical report on UNRWA in 2020: UNRWA's future
reconsidered.

Its criticisms focused on financial mismanagement, the funding of Palestinian

textbooks that have been criticised as promoting radicalisation, and
allegations that UNRWA staff have supported violent action against Israelis.
The report argued that UNRWA is “detrimental to the two-state formulation
for peace in the region.” 144

Speaking in November 2023, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe

Lazzarini, described claims that “its schools teach hatred” as “false and
insidious” and that UNRWA “is committed to upholding UN humanitarian
principles” and has “zero tolerance for hate speech, racism and incitement to
discrimination, hostility, or violence”. 145

International Development Committee Chair, 2022

UNRWA was considered in an adjournment debate in the Commons in June
2022. The Chair of the International Development Committee, Sarah
Champion, said she had “no doubt” UNRWA was an example of “money being
well spent”. 146 The Chair said the agency played an important role in ensuring
stability in the region and contributes to a two-state solution:

Without UNRWA, we risk destabilising the region further and emboldening

those who do not share our belief that the best way to bring peace and
stability to the region is through a political resolution to the conflict. […] If we
are to remain committed to our vision of two states, surely we should provide
support to UNRWA, which has proved itself a reliable partner by which the
international community can address the refugee constituency. 147

In response to the 2022 debate, then Foreign, Commonwealth and

Development Office Minister Vicky Ford said the UK is a “long standing
supporter” of the agency and “value[s] the vital role it plays as a
humanitarian service and a stabilising force in the region.” 148

144
Henry Jackson Society, UNRWA’s future reconsidered, 23 February 2020
145
UNRWA, Statement of Mr Philippe Lazzarini the Commissioner-General […], 11 November 2023 and
UNRWA, Remarks by UNRWA Commissioner-General [...], 16 November 2023
146
HC Deb, 15 June 2022, c175WH
147
HC Deb, 15 June 2022, c178WH
148
HC Deb, 15 June 2022, c180WH

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

FCDO assessment of UK-funded work, covering 2020

Information on the FCDO’s funding and evaluations of UNRWA can be found
on its development tracker website under two programmes:

• Supporting Palestinian refugees across the Middle East—in Gaza, the

West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, last updated December 2022.

• UK support for Palestinian refugees, 2022 to 2025, last updated

December 2022. No annual report has been published to date.

The first programme’s most recent published annual report covers 2020. The
report’s conclusions include the following:

• The agency “delivered human development assistance rapidly and

effectively” by drawing on its operational strengths, in particular its
workforce, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

• UNRWA had a “strength as a frontline service provider” and successfully

innovated and adjusted service provision to meet the changing needs of
the pandemic.

• Areas where UNRWA underachieved “can be largely attributed to the

deteriorating financial situation the agency faces” as well as the
pressures of the pandemic on its operations and finances.

• The FCDO scored the project “A” (the second possible highest rating) and
judged it “met expectations” of the department. 149

149
FCDO Development Tracker, Annual review 20456-published July 2022, p1

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

4 UN reviews of UNRWA’s neutrality, 2024

4.1 Allegations and creation of reviews, January

On 26 January 2024, UNRWA announced an investigation following reports

that “several” of its employees were involved in the 7 October Hamas assault
on Israel. UNRWA Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, said the agency
“immediately terminated” the contracts of the staff members and said any
staff member who was involved in acts of terror would be held accountable,
including through criminal prosecution. 150

The agency said 12 UNRWA staff were implicated: nine were immediately
identified, one was confirmed dead and the identities of two others were
being clarified.151 Two reviews were announced:

• An Independent Review Group (the “Colonna review”), appointed by the

UN Secretary General, in consultation with UNRWA Commissioner
General, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. 152

• A review by the UN Office of Internal oversight services. This will produce

a report which will not be published. It will make recommendations for
the UN Secretary General to take forward. See section 4.3 for details. 153

These are in addition to a separate review announced by UNRWA on 17

January, which will consider the agency’s functioning and independence. 154

In a separate development, in September 2024 UNRWA confirmed that the

leader of Hamas in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif, had been employed by the agency.
Sherif was killed by an Israeli airstrike on 30 September. UNRWA had
suspended him in March and he was undergoing an investigation following
allegations that UNRWA had received about his political activities. 155

150
UNRWA, Serious allegations against UNRWA staff in the Gaza Strip, 26 January 2024
151
UN, Statement by the Secretary General on UNRWA, 28 January 2024
152
Guterres appoints independent UNRWA review panel, 5 February 2024; UN, Note to
correspondents—on the independent review of UNRWA, 20 March 2024
153
UNRWA, Allegations against UNRWA staff, 8 February 2024; UN, Highlights of briefing, 26 April 2024
154
As above and UN Palestinian refugee agency to launch independent review […], ABC News, 18
January 2024; UNRWA, Spreading unsubstantiated claims about UNRWA […], 1 December 2023
155
UNRWA confirms Hamas leader in Lebanon was its employee, Times of Israel, 30 September 2024;
UN agency for Palestinian refugees suspends teacher in Lebanon, 27 March 2024

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

4.2 What did the Colonna review find on UNRWA

neutrality?

On 22 April, the report of the Independent Review Group, led by the former
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, was published. The review by the
UN Office of internal oversight remains ongoing. 156

This section summarises the review’s finding and recommendations on

UNRWA neutrality. The full report can be read at: Independent review of
mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the
humanitarian principle of neutrality (PDF).

In its summary, the Colonna review said that UNRWA had existing
mechanisms and procedures to ensure neutrality but “neutrality-related
issues persist”. It cited staff expressing political views, host-country textbooks
with “problematic content” in some UNRWA schools, and politicised staff
unions making threats to UNRWA. 157

Neutrality breaches reported against UNRWA

The review found that the annual number of alleged neutrality breaches of
UNRWA staff were between 7 and 55 from 2017 to 2022 (an annual average of
21). It said that the number of allegations had “escalated significantly” since
October 2023. From January 2022 to February 2024, 151 neutrality-related
breaches were reported, with the majority related to social media posts. Fifty
neutrality cases are under investigation, as of April 2024. 158

The review noted that there may be “inconsistent reporting” of neutrality

breaches due to the “decentralised” intake of reporting and challenges in
reporting and investigating allegations in Gaza during active conflict. 159

Checking UNRWA staff lists and Israeli Government

evidence
The Colonna review also describes the provision of annual UNRWA staff lists
to Israel and the United States for UNRWA staff working in East Jerusalem,
Gaza, and the West Bank. It says these lists allow these states to alert
UNRWA of any concerns regarding any of its staff. The review noted that
UNRWA itself lacked the support of intelligence services to undertake
“efficient and comprehensive vetting” but does screen individuals against UN

156
UN, Independent review panel releases final report on UNRWA, 22 April 2024.
157
Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to ensure adherence by UNRWA to the
humanitarian principle of neutrality (PDF), 22 April 2024, pp4-5, 18-19
158
As above, pp12, 14
159
As above, p13

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West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

and World Bank sanctions lists annually. It says no individuals of concern had
been identified via this screening method. 160

The review noted that Israel had not informed UNRWA of any concerns
relating to staff on these lists since 2011. Israeli officials told the review that it
does not consider the sharing of these lists as a screening or vetting process
but rather ensuring the diplomatic immunities and privileges of staff.

The review also said that Israel had based its claims that a “significant
number” of UNRWA staff are members of terrorist groups on UNRWA’s March
2024 list but “Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence of this”.

Neutrality of UNRWA installations

The report says UNWRA has around 1,000 installations including schools,
health centres and warehouses, and is responsible for ensuring their
neutrality. 161

UNRWA conducts quarterly reviews of each site. The review notes that a
“limiting factor to the potential discovery of critical breaches [such as
weapons or tunnels used by Hamas]” in these sites is that UNRWA does not
have policing, military, or widespread investigative capacities.

Education
UNRWA uses the local curriculum and textbooks of the Palestinian Authority.
The review notes several reviews have been conducted into their content and
UNRWA has “consistently worked” on ensuring neutrality (see above, page
27). It said that the most recent UNRWA review, covering 2022/23, found what
the Colonna review described as “grave violations of neutrality”. 162

The 2022/23 UNRWA review had found 3.85% of textbook pages included
“issues of concern to UN values, guidance or position on the [Israeli-
Palestinian] conflict”, being either “educationally inappropriate” or not in line
with UNESCO standards.

The Colonna review said that despite work by the Palestinian Authority and
dialogue with UNRWA and UNESCO, “the issue persists” and “more work
needs to be undertaken” to “avoid the promotion of discrimination and
incitement to hatred and violence and the spreading of antisemitic views”.

160
This and next two paragraphs sourced from Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to
ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality (PDF), April 2024, pp21-22
161
As above, p25
162
These three paragraphs from as above, pp28-9, 30

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Recommendations and UNRWA response

The Colonna review provided 50 recommendations for UNRWA, which are
listed in full in chapter 10 of the review. These included measures to
strengthen internal oversight and greater engagement with donor states. 163

To improve neutrality, the review recommended implementing additional

ways to screen UNRWA staff, introducing a continuous vetting process of
employees, and implementing regular sharing of staff lists with host countries
and Israel to allow staff screening.

It also recommended strengthening collaboration with Israel on identifying

misuse of UNRWA facilities and increasing the frequency of installation visits.

It also recommended reviewing all textbooks used by UNRWA, establishing a

yearly review of all textbooks with UNESCO, and stopping using any teaching
material with antisemitic references, hate speech or incitement to violence.

Both the UN and UNRWA accepted in full the report’s recommendations and
are working on an action plan to implement them. The UN also says it stands
ready to work with courts and other authorities to prosecute any individuals
found to be involved in acts of terrorism. 164

The Israeli Government has been critical of UNRWA’s conduct and challenges
the April 2024 report. Israeli and other Government responses to the report
and the original allegations are set out below, in section 4.4 and 4.5.

4.3 UN Office of Oversight Services review

In August 2024 the UN Office of Oversight Services (OIOS) concluded its

investigation into UNRWA. All OIOS reports are confidential and unpublished,
though the UN says governments can request copies. 165

The report investigated allegations against 19 area staff members of UNRWA

regarding allegations of their involvement in the 7 October 2023 assault. The
report noted that the OIOS was unable to independently authenticate
information used by Israel to support its allegations against UNRWA staff.

A OIOS spokesperson summarised the findings against the 19 individuals:

In one case, no evidence was obtained by OIOS to support the allegations of

the staff member’s involvement, while in nine other cases, the evidence
obtained by OIOS was insufficient to support the staff members’ involvement.

163
Section on recommendations sourced from Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to
ensure adherence by UNRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality (PDF), chapter 10
164
UN, Allegations against UNRWA staff
165
This and next paragraph from UN, UN completes investigation on UNRWA staff, 5 August 2024

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

With respect to these ten cases, appropriate measures will be taken in due
course, in conformity with UNRWA Regulations and Rules.

In respect of the remaining nine cases, the evidence obtained by OIOS

indicated that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the armed
attacks of 7 October 2023. The employment of these individuals will be
terminated in the interests of the Agency. 166

In response to the report, UNRWA announced that the nine staff who “may
have been involved” in the 7 October assault would be sacked. 167 It said it was
committed to upholding the “humanitarian principle of neutrality”. 168

4.4 Which donors suspended funding?

In January 2024, the United States, European Commission, UK, Australia, and
Canada were among several donors to temporarily suspend funding or
decisions on future funding following the allegations (note some did not plan
any additional funding in the first quarter of 2024). 169

On 19 April, G7 foreign ministers (the G7 is the US, UK, Canada, France,

Germany, Italy, Japan, and the EU) issued a collective statement stating that
UNRWA “has a vital role in the Gaza humanitarian response” and said it
welcomed the investigations to provide transparency to the allegations and
the review “in view of the implementation of the needed reforms”. 170

Since January, most donors who suspended funding said they plan to restore
or continue funding. These donors have emphasised they expect UNRWA to
implement reforms and ensure its neutrality. In the case of the European
Commission, it says its decision to renew funding is conditional on UNRWA
conducting a review of its staff and an EU-appointed audit. 171

The US Government, which is the biggest donor to UNRWA, providing US$371

million in 2023, initially said would make a decision on restoring funding when
the UN reviews are completed. 172 It also said that around US$300,000 in funds
had been planned for the remainder of the financial year and were suspended
(US$121 million had already been delivered). 173 However, in March 2024
President Biden signed into law an Act suspending US funding to UNRWA until
March 2025. 174 The Administration says it will spend aid via other channels. 175

166
UN, Note to correspondents—on the UN OIOS investigation of the UNRWA, 5 August 2024
167
UN, Nine UNRWA staff to be fired for potential role in 7 October attacks on Israel, 5 August 2024; UN,
UN completes investigation on UNRWA staff, 5 August 2024
168
UNRWA, Investigation completed: allegations on UNRWA staff participation […], 5 August 2024
169
UNRWA, The Gaza Strip: Humanitarian crisis deepens […], 1 February 2024
170
FCDO, G7 Foreign Minister’s meeting communiqué, situation in the Middle East, 19 April 2024
171
European Commission, Commission will proceed to paying €50 million, 1 March 2024
172
Congressional Research Service, UNRWA: Overview and US funding (PDF), 9 February 2024
173
US State Department, Press briefing, 30 January 2024
174
HR2882 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, Title III funding limitation for UNRWA, Section 301
175
US State Department, Press briefing, 26 March 2024

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

The US has called for the creation of a mechanism to review and address
allegations that UNRWA staff have ties to terrorist groups. 176

The below table lists all those that suspended or paused funding and have
since resumed. Of the 13 top-20 donors that paused funding (listed with an
asterisk (*)), 11 have said they will provide funding in 2024, and two have not.

These are the United States and the Netherlands (and the Netherlands has
said it is considering resuming funding in the future). 177

Some top-20 donors, including Norway and Saudi Arabia did not pause
funding or future funding decisions. Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, and Spain,
though not top 20 donors, also said their funding would continue. 178

Which countries have announced funding will resume?

Those marked * a top 20 donor in 2022 or 2023
European Union* 1 March 2024 Expects UNRWA to carry out EU-appointed audit
Sweden* 9 March 2024 Further funding conditional on more reforms
Australia* 12 March 2024 Expects ongoing reforms by UNRWA
Canada* 12 March 2024 Expects further reforms of UNRWA
Denmark 15 March 2024 Says future reforms to UNRWA still needed
Iceland 19 March 2024 Expects further UNRWA reforms
Finland* 22 March 2024 Some funding earmarked for risk management
France* 28 March 2024 Subject to UNRWA making reforms
Japan* 2 April 2024 Expects further reforms by UNRWA
Germany* 24 April 2024 Welcomed the Colonna review
Latvia 30 April 2024 Welcomed the Colonna review
Switzerland* 8 May 2024 Follows the Colonna review
Romania 17 May 2024 Welcomed the review and UNRWA plan
Austria 18 May 2024 Follows the new UNRWA action plan
Italy* 25 May 2024 Follows the Colonna review
New Zealand 6 June 2024 Follows the UN reviews and UNRWA response
Estonia 12 July 2024 Following commitments of review/UNRWA plan
UK* 19 July 2024 Welcomed the review and UNRWA plan
Source: See hyperlinks in table for each country. UNRWA top-twenty donor list from UNRWA, Funding trends

176
US Mission to the UN, Remarks by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, 9 October 2024; White
House, Press gaggle by White House National Security Advisor, 21 September 2024
177
Netherlands will consider resuming support […], Reuters, 26 April 2024; Dutch reserve €3 million for
UNRWA, Dutch News, 11 June 2024
178
Handful of EU states plus Norway will keep funding UNRWA, EU Observer, 29 January 2024

42 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

4.5 Israeli, UN and Palestinian response

In January 2024 Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said “UNRWA’s

mission has to end” and the agency “has to be replaced”. 179

The Israeli Government welcomed the funding freeze by donors and in March
2024 said it would stop working with UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, saying UNRWA
“perpetuates the conflict rather than tr[ies] [to] alleviate it”. 180 It also
welcomed the US decision to freeze UNRWA funding until March 2025 and said
that “UNRWA will not remain in Gaza after Hamas is removed”. 181

In response to the Colonna report, published on 22 April 2024, the Israeli

Government reiterated that it judged many UNRWA staff to be Hamas
members and activists and that the report’s recommendations to resolve this
issue were “cosmetic” and the report “fundamentally flawed”. 182

In January 2024 both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority condemned the
suspension of UNRWA funding by donors and called for its restoration. 183

In response to the initial allegations by Israeli on UNRWA staff involvement,

the UN Secretary General called for the donors who have suspended their
funding “to, at least, guarantee the continuity of UNRWA’s operations”. 184 In
April, his office said the Secretary General had agreed with UNRWA to fully
implement the Colonna report’s recommendations and “appeal[ed] to all
stakeholders to actively support UNRWA” as a “lifeline” for Palestinians. 185

UNRWA has said that the decision of some donors to suspend funding
“threatens our ongoing humanitarian work across the region” and it had not
previously received any concerns on specific staff. 186

In September 2024 the UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philipe Lazzarini,

called on all states to “safeguard” the role of UNRWA and “reject” attempts
to “shut down and marginalise UNRWA”. 187

179
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PM Netanyahu meets with a delegation […], 31 January 2024
180
Israel will stop working with UNRWA in Gaza, Reuters, 25 March 2024
181
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, FM Katz welcomes historic US decision […], 23 March 2024
182
UNRWA review: Israel hasn’t provided evidence that agency staff were terrorist members, Times of
Israel, 22 April 2024
183
Israel says will stop UNRWA from operating in Gaza after war, BBC Monitoring, 27 January 2024
184
UN, Statement by the Secretary General on UNRWA, 28 January 2024
185
UN, Statement attributable to the spokesperson for the Secretary General, 22 April 2024
186
UNRWA, UNRWA’s lifesaving aid may end due to funding suspension, 27 January 2024
187
UNRWA, Statement of Phillipe Lazzarini, 10 September 2024

43 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

4.6 What has been the UK position?

Decision to resume funding, 19 July 2024

On 19 July, Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the Commons that the UK
would resume funding of UNRWA and announced £21 million to the agency. 188

The Foreign Secretary said he was “reassured” after the Colonna review that
UNRWA is “meeting the highest standards of neutrality” and was
strengthening its procedures, including on vetting. 189 £1 million will made be
available to support the implementation of the recommendations: 190

Some of the UK's funding will be directed at supporting the implementation of

UNRWA's management reforms, that will implement the recommendations
made by Catherine Colonna's independent report. The reforms include
delivering stronger independent oversight, better detection systems, improved
screening procedures and other areas. 191

The government also said that it would monitor UNRWA’s progress on

implementing its action plan and continue to conduct its own annual
assessment of UK funding to UNRWA. 192

The UK also joined 118 signatories in signing a statement on its commitment to

UNRWA and “underlying that UNRWA is the backbone of all humanitarian
response in Gaza” and there is no agency that can “replace or substitute”
it. 193

Why did the government pause future decisions?

In January 2024, the UK Government paused decisions on its future funding to
UNRWA while the allegations were reviewed. It said this did not affect any UK
aid for UNRWA for 2023/24, with a total of £35 million provided since 7
October 2023. No further payments were due in the 2023/24 financial year. 194

The government said any future funding decisions will be made after the two
reviews has concluded and expected UNRWA to give “detailed undertakings”
about changes to “personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never
happen again”. It was pressing for the reviews to be “rapidly” concluded. 195

The International Development Minister, Andrew Mitchell, said the UK would

continue to provide aid through other agencies, including UN ones, and

188
HC Deb, 19 July 2024, c300
189
FCDO, UK to restart funding to UNRWA, 19 July 2024
190
HC Deb, 19 July 2024, c306
191
PQ HL36 [UNRWA: finance], 9 August 2024
192
PQ HL289 [UNRWA: finance], 8 August 2024
193
UNRWA, Statement of shared commitments on UNRWA, 12 July 2024; FCDO, The UK recognises the
importance of UNRWA’s mandate, 12 July 2024
194
HC Deb, 29 January 2024, c621; 630
195
PQ 18514 [UNRWA: Finance], 21 March 2024

44 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

emphasized UNRWA’s role as a “stabilising” one that is “critical to delivering

humanitarian assistance”. 196

In answer to an April 2024 question in the House from Shadow Middle East
Minister, Wayne David MP, who called for funding to UNRWA to be restored,
Mr Mitchell said:

we are looking at all those reports [the Colonna report and Office of Internal
Oversight Services report] and we will make a decision in our own time. Britain
is not falling short in that respect, because we are currently fully funded on all
the earlier commitments we made. We will look at the Office of Internal
Oversight Services report and the UNRWA reaction to it. We are aware of non-
traditional donors and private donations coming in, and UNRWA is fully funded
until the end of May. When we reach our conclusion, I will be sure to inform the
House of it. 197

Positions in the UK Parliament on the January pause

• In January 2024, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, backed
UNRWA’s decision to investigate and terminate staff contracts. 198

In April 2024, then Shadow International Development Secretary, Lisa

Nandy described as “unrealistic” suggestions that the humanitarian
response in Gaza could be continued without UNRWA and argued that
the withholding of UK funding is despite the “government [being] aware
that if UNRWA can’t continue its operations, the whole humanitarian
system in Gaza collapses”. 199

• In April, several Conservative backbench MPs, including former Home

Secretary Suella Braverman and Intelligence and Security Committee
member Theresa Villers called for UK funding to UNRWA not to be
restored, arguing a new organisation should instead be established to
deliver aid. 200

• In March, the Commons IDC published a report on the situation in Gaza.

This said that UNRWA “is the only functioning organisation in parts of
Gaza” and that the UK should “quickly” push for reforms so that funding
continues. 201

• In July, the Liberal Democrats welcomed the resumption of UNRWA

funding. 202

196
HC Deb, 29 January 2024, c621
197
HC Deb, 30 April 2024, c137
198
HC Deb, 29 January 2024, c622
199
Lisa Nandy urges support for UN relief agency for Palestinians, The Guardian, 17 April 2024
200
Restoring funding for “Hamas linked” UNRWA would be morally bankrupt [...], The Telegraph, 20
April 2024
201
IDC, Humanitarian situation in Gaza, HC 110, March 2024, paras 71-2
202
HC Deb, 19 July 2024, c306

45 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

• In March, the SNP said that the UK must provide aid to UNRWA, stating it
was reassured that UNRWA would make necessary reforms, citing the
funding decision of the European Commission. 203

203
Scottish Government, UK Government must reverse decision to suspend aid, 11 March 2024

46 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

5 Israeli legislation on UNRWA 2024

5.1 What is the background to the 2024 laws?

The Israeli Government has accused UNRWA of being “infiltrated by terrorist

organisations” including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Evidence
presented by Israel has led to UN investigations and the sacking of some
UNRWA staff in 2024 (see above, section 4). Israel has said that the agency
should be replaced and that promised reforms are insufficient. It has also
cited other long-standing concerns for the content of textbooks in UNRWA
schools (see above, pages 29 to 30). 204

In 2024 the Israeli Government has argued that “in the longer run, UNRWA’s
state-like function as a provider of basic services” should be transferred to
local civilian authorities in a post-Hamas Gaza. 205 Israeli media report a plan
to this effect has been considered by the Israeli Security Cabinet. 206

This is not the first time calls for the closure of UNRWA have been made in
Israel. In 2017 and 2018 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UNRWA
should be gradually dismantled, arguing it “perpetuates the Palestinian
refugee problem” (see above, section 3.1). 207 He suggested that UNRWA be
merged with the UN Refugee Agency. 208

UNRWA has said it is committed to the values of neutrality, the UN and

humanitarian work and that there is “no ground for a blanket description of
the ‘institution as a whole’ being ‘totally infiltrated”. In May 2024 it said that
since 2022 there have been 66 UNRWA staff members investigated out of
30,000, and not all these complaints have been substantiated. 209

5.2 What Israeli legislation has been introduced?

During 2024, the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) has been considering three bills
which would ban UNRWA from working in Israel, designate the agency as a
“terrorist” organisation, and strip UNWRA staff of legal immunities and

204
Israeli Government, The UNRWA-Hamas linkage, updated 30 September 2024
205
Israeli Government, The UNRWA-Hamas linkage, updated 30 September 2024; Israel says will stop
UNRWA from operating in Gaza after war, BBC Monitoring, 27 February 2024
206
Netanyahu presents plan for post-war Gaza, BBC Monitoring, 23 February 2024
207
Netanyahu wants UNRWA gradually shut down, backs US cuts, Times of Israel, 7 January 2018
208
Prime Minister […] calls for dismantling of UNRWA, The Independent, 12 June 2017
209
UNRWA, Claims versus facts, May 2024

47 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

privileges afforded to UN staff in Israel. 210 These proposals were criticised by

the UNRWA, European Union, and UK, among others, when being debated. 211

In October 2024 the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed two bills on UNRWA:

• The first says that UNRWA will not operate any missions, services, or
activity in Israeli territory. The bill passed by 92 votes to 10.

• The second bars Israeli state authorities from having any contact with
UNRWA and revokes exemptions such as from tax and UNRWA’s
diplomatic status and immunity. Israel’s Coordinator of Government
Activities in the Territories will have to stop working with UNRWA. The bill
passed 87 votes to 9. 212

The laws will come into effect in 90 days. Members of Likud, the party of
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sponsored the legislation. No
replacement to UNRWA has been named. The proposed legislation on
designating UNRWA a terrorist organisation has not proceeded further. 213

Israeli statement on implementation and aid access

On the day the legislation was passed on 28 October 2024, Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that UNRWA workers were “involved in
terrorist activities” and had to be held accountable. He said that in the 90
days before the legislation takes effect, Israel stood “ready to work with our
international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian
aid to civilian in Gaza”. 214

The Israeli representative to the UN, Danny Danon, told the UN Security
Council on 29 October 2024 that Israel would continue to work with “UN
organs […] focused on humanitarian assistance” such as Unicef and the
World Food Programme, but not UNRWA. 215

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has also said that the Israeli Foreign
Minister, Israel Katz, told him before the bills passed the Knesset that
“although the Knesset could pass its bill […], that does not mean that it has
to be implemented”. 216

210
Knesset committee discusses trio of bills aimed at shutting down UNRWA, Times of Israel, 2 July
2024
211
EU External Action, Israel: Statement by the High Representative, 31 May 2024; PQ HL447 [UNRWA],
9 August 2024; UNRWA, Statement of Phillipe Lazzarini, 10 September 2024; Condemnations mount
over Israel proposal to label UN agency a terrorist group, AP, 2 June 2024
212
Knesset approves bills banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, Haaretz, 28 October 2024
213
As above and Israel set to pass laws on Monday that will heavily restrict UNRWA, Times of Israel, 25
October 2024; Israel outlaws UNRWA, bucking international pressure, Jerusalem Post, 28 October
2024
214
Knesset approves bills banning UNRWA from operating in Israel, Haaretz, 28 October 2024
215
UN, UNIFED: UN/Gaza UNRWA, 29 October 2024
216
HC Deb, 28 October 2024, c553

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 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Palestinian response
The Palestinian Authority criticised the vote as a challenge to the UN and the
“right of return” of Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, Gaza and
East Jerusalem. It said there was no alternative to UNRWA. 217

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad “reject[ed] and denounce[d] the

vote”. 218

5.3 What has been the UN and UNRWA response?

The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, said the vote “sets a

dangerous precedent” and “opposes the UN charter and violates the state of
Israel’s obligations under international law”. He argued the bills were the
“latest in the ongoing campaign to discredit UNRWA”. 219

He also argued the criticisms are “politically motivated by the goal of

eliminating the status of ‘Palestine refugees’” (see above, section 3.1, for
Israeli criticism of the agency in the context of the “right of return”). Mr
Lazzarini said Palestinian “refugees will keep that status until a political
solution is at hand”. 220

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, said he was “deeply concerned”

by the legislation and that “there is no alternative to UNRWA”. He said that
national legislation cannot alter Israel’s obligations under the UN Charter to
maintain the privileges and immunities of UN agencies. He said he would
bring the matter to the attention of the UN General Assembly. 221

Mr Guterres has written to the Israeli Government. In the letter, he said that
Israel should give the UN “every assistance” in its work under the UN Charter,
that it should adhere to the 1946 UN Convention on the Privileges and
Immunities of UN personnel and agencies, and Israel should facilitate relief
programmes as an “occupying power”. Israel has said it will continue to
facilitate humanitarian aid in line with international law. 222

217
Abu Rudeineh: we condemn and reject Israeli legislation regarding UNRWA, WAFA, 28 October 2024
218
Palestinian factions condemn Knesset’s UNRWA ban vote, BBC Monitoring, 29 October 2024
219
UNRWA, The vote by the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) […], 28 October 2024
220
UNRWA, Statement of Philippe Lazzarini, 30 October 2024
221
UN, Statement of the Secretary-General on Israeli legislation on UNRWA, 28 October 2024
222
What are the legal questions raised by Israel’s ban on UNRWA?, Reutters, 29 October 2024

49 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Potential submission to the International Court of

Justice
The Norwegian Government has said it plans to ask the UN General Assembly
to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on
whether Israel’s decision violates international law. 223

The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the UN. Any advisory opinions it
issues are not binding. Section 2.7 of the Commons Library briefing, 2023/24
Israel-Hamas conflict: US, UN, EU and regional response, has more on the
ICJ.

5.4 What has been the UK and international

response?

UN Security Council
The UN Security Council includes the five permanent members of the UK, US,
China, Russia and France, and ten elected members. On 30 September the
Council published a statement, reached by consensus, supporting UNRWA. It:

urged the Israeli government to abide by its international obligations, respect

the privileges and immunities of UNRWA and live up to its responsibility to
allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in
all its forms into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip. 224

UK Government
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK Government was “gravely concerned”
at the UNRWA bills passed by the Knesset. He said it risked “jeopardising the
entire international humanitarian response in Gaza” and urged Israeli
lawmakers to ensure UNRWA work can continue. 225

The UK told the UN Security Council on 29 October 2024 that:

We also unequivocally reject attempts to undermine or degrade UNRWA,

which is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza and a lifeline for
hundreds of thousands of civilians there, and in the wider region. The
allegations against UNRWA staff earlier this year were fully investigated. There
is no justification for cutting off ties with UNRWA. Israel must abide by its
obligations and ensure UNRWA can continue its lifesaving work. 226

223
Government of Norway, Norway asks UN to clarify Israel’s obligations under international law, 29
October 2024
224
UN Security Council warns against attempts to dismantle UNRWA, Reuters, 30 September 2024
225
Prime Minister’s Office, Statement on Israel’s Knesset vote on UNRWA, 28 October 2024
226
FCDO, There is no justification for denying civilians in Gaza access to life-saving aid, 29 October
2024

50 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

Foreign Secretary David Lammy also issued a joint statement with the foreign
ministers of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea
expressing concern over the legislation. The ministers said Israel should
maintain the privileges and immunities of UNRWA and support the delivery of
aid to Gaza. They also reiterated their support for UNRWA reforms. 227

International Development Minister Annelise Dodds told the House of

Commons after the legislation had passed the Israeli Knesset that
“jeopardising the mandate of the UNRWA and […] its ability to carry out its
lifesaving work is unacceptable” and “counterproductive”. 228

The Minister said the UK was working with its partners to urge Israel to allow
UNRWA to continue its work. She noted that “all humanitarian actors depend
on UNRWA’s distribution network to get aid” to those in need”. 229

United States
The US State Department has said it is “deeply troubled” by the legislation
that could “shutter UNRWA operations” across the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. It said UNRWA’s role “cannot be filled by anyone else” and it
would be watching to see if there are any legal challenges to the law. 230

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has previously expressed concern at the

legislation and said it could have implications on US policy towards Israel. 231
As cited above, section 1.3, on 16 October 2024, he and the Secretary of State
for Defense, Lloyd Austin, had written to the Israeli Government stating Israel
must take “urgent and sustained action” to increase the level of aid into Gaza
and that:

Failure to demonstrate a sustained commitment to implementing and

maintaining these measures may have implications for U.S. policy under NSM-
20 and relevant U.S. law [weapons supply] […] 232

This follows an earlier letter in April 2024. 233 The US State Department has not
set out what military assistance may be restricted. 234

European Union
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, also expressed
his “grave concern” for the legislation. He said it would “de facto render
UNRWA’s vital operations in Gaza impossible” and stood in “stark

227
FCDO, Legislation against UNRWA under consideration, 27 October 2024
228
HC Deb, 29 October 2024, cc688-89
229
HC Deb, 29 October 2024, cc688-89
230
US Department of State, Press briefing, 29 October 2024
231
US “deeply concerned” new Israeli laws will worsen Gaza crisis, Axios, 28 October 2024
232
US demands Israel improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza, Axios, 15 October 2024; US gives Israel
30 days to boost Gaza aid, BBC News, 15 October 2024
233
US suggests military aid to Israel is at risk […], CNN, 16 October 2024
234
US Department of State, Department press briefing, 15 October 2024

51 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

contradiction to international law”. He called on Israel to adhere to its

international obligations. 235

235
EU External Action, Israel/Palestine: Statement by the High Representative, 28 October 2024

52 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

 West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

6 Further reading and resources

Commons Library briefings

• Commons Library research briefing, Israel and the OPTs: UK response to
the conflict since July 2024

• Commons Library research briefing, Israel-Hamas conflict: UK response

October 2023 to July 2024

• Commons Library research briefing, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian

Territories: A parliamentary reading list, 2020-2024

UK Government resources
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Humanitarian
situation in Gaza: The UK Government’s response, last updated April
2024. Summary of humanitarian aid and collection of press releases.

• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Development Tracker:

Occupied Palestinian Territories, regularly updated. UK aid programmes.

• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK-OPTs development

partnership summary, July 2023. Summary of UK aid activities.

Committee reports and proceedings

• International Development Committee, Humanitarian situation in Gaza,
HC 110, March 2024. A government response was published in May.

• International Development Committee, Oral evidence: humanitarian

situation in Gaza, HC 110, 14 November 2023. Witnesses were Sam Rose
(UNRWA), Shaina Low (Norwegian Refugee Council), Yasmine Ahmed
(Human Rights Watch) and Melanie Ward (Medical Aid for Palestinians).

• International Development Committee, UK aid for refugee host countries,

HC 426, May 2023 and Government response, October 2023. Section 4
covers the OPTs and sections 2 and 3 refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

53 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

• Written evidence submitted to the International Development Committee

includes that from the Henry Jackson Society and UNRWA.

Independent Commission for Aid Impact

• Independent Commission for Aid Impact, Information note: Humanitarian
aid to Gaza, 21 May 2024

UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian

Refugees (UNRWA)
• EJIL Talk!, The General Assembly must protect UNRWA by requesting a
binding opinion, 29 October 2024

• Foreign Policy, Don’t give up on UNRWA, 29 March 2024

• Foreign Affairs, Overhaul UNRWA-just not right now, 29 March 2024

• Council on Foreign Relations, The UN’s Palestinian aid controversy, 27

March 2024

• Washington Institute, Options for UNRWA: From systematic reform to

dissolution, 21 March 2024

• International Crisis Group, Why donors should not suspend aid to

UNRWA, 7 February 2024

• International Crisis Group, UNRWA’s reckoning: Preserving the UN

agency serving Palestinian refugees, 15 September 2023

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, UNRWA as a proxy site of

conflict? The case of the Gaza Strip, 19 May 2022

Humanitarian situation and access

• Atlantic Council, The economic and social costs of the war in Gaza, 22
October 2024

• Human Rights Watch, Children with disabilities amid Israel’s attacks on

Gaza, 30 September 2024

• US Agency for International Development (USAID), Office of the Inspector

General, USAID’s Gaza response: external factors impaired distribution of

54 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs

humanitarian assistance through the JLOTS maritime corridor, August

2024

• Center for Strategic and International Studies, Gaza: the impacts of

famine will last generations, 20 June 2024

• Wilson Center, Planning for women in a postwar Gaza, 15 May 2024

• Center for Strategic and International Studies, Famine in Gaza, 11 April

2024

• Human Rights Watch, Gaza’s blocked relief, 30 October 2023

• Chatham House, The UN must coordinate field hospitals and hospital

ships for Gaza, 27 October 2023

• Atlantic Council, Humanitarian aid cannot be weaponised, 18 October

2023

• UNRWA, Gaza: 15 years of blockade, June 2022

• Foreign Policy, Palestinian schools have a problem- and are running out
of time, 5 November 2021

55 Commons Library Research Briefing, 31 October 2024

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