“The humanitarian disaster in Gaza continues, and we urge Israel to reverse its choice to develop navy operations,” Jennifer Chapman stated.
The UK will present extra help to the UN Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to help Gazan civilians, “however provided that the Israeli authorities lets help in,” the UK International, Commonwealth and Growth Workplace (FCDO) stated Saturday.
The extra funding will complete £8.5 million and will probably be used to supply meals, water, and gasoline to the areas of Gaza in essentially the most acute want, Minister for Worldwide Growth Jennifer Chapman stated.
She stated the humanitarian state of affairs in Gaza was catastrophic and condemned the Israeli safety cupboard’s approval of a plan to escalate the Gaza offensive.
“The humanitarian disaster in Gaza continues, and we urge Israel to reverse its choice to develop navy operations,” she stated.
“It’s unacceptable that a lot help is ready on the border,” Chapman stated. “The UK is able to present extra by way of our companions, and we demand that the federal government of Israel permits extra help in safely and securely. The inadequate quantity of provides getting by way of is inflicting appalling and chaotic scenes as determined civilians attempt to entry tiny quantities of help.”
Palestinians stroll to gather help provides from the Gaza Humanitarian Basis, in Khan Yunis, within the southern Gaza Strip, Might 29, 2025 (credit score: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled)
The UK is the biggest donor to OCHA in 2025, and the extra cash will type a part of the UK’s £101m. funds for Palestine for this monetary yr, of which £60m. is allotted for humanitarian help, the FCDO stated.
International Workplace fails to launch report on Israel’s genocide danger
The UK International Workplace reportedly has failed to stick to a freedom of data (FOI) request made by Amnesty Worldwide to see a June 2024 inside evaluation that there was no critical danger of Israel committing genocide in Gaza.
Amnesty Worldwide reportedly tried to entry the evaluation, however the FCDO didn’t reply inside the mandated one-month interval. It additionally apparently refused to reveal if an up to date evaluation of the chance of genocide has been made.
Amnesty Worldwide lodged a proper criticism with the Data Commissioner’s Workplace final yr.
Nonetheless, The Jerusalem Put up discovered one other FOI request made by Amnesty Worldwide on June 19, 2025, which has not been responded to. This FOI request requested to view the evaluation and know when the latest evaluation was carried out and whether or not any additional ones will probably be accomplished in 2025.
This was first reported by The Guardian on Friday, however the existence of the chance of genocide evaluation was talked about within the UK authorities’s argument in Al-Haq v Secretary of State for Enterprise and Commerce [F-35] case earlier this yr. Whereas excerpts of the file have been talked about throughout the F-35 case, Amnesty Worldwide is looking for to see it in its entirety.
Al-Haq, a bunch primarily based within the West Financial institution, took authorized motion towards the UK Division for Enterprise and Commerce over its choice to exempt F-35 components when it suspended some arms export licenses final yr, claiming that the components have been used to breach worldwide humanitarian regulation.
The choice was lawful, London’s Excessive Court docket dominated in June.
Contained in the case submitting, the federal government stated it had carried out the evaluation by way of the Export Management Joint Unit within the FCDO on June 11, 2024.
There was “no critical danger of genocide occurring,” the federal government concluded.
One excerpt stated the “findings that Israel shouldn’t be dedicated to adjust to IHL doesn’t essentially point out that it’s harboring genocidal intent. No proof has been seen that Israel is intentionally focusing on civilian ladies or kids. There’s additionally proof of Israel making efforts to restrict incidental hurt to civilians.”
“There is no such thing as a proof of a high-level strategic choice, handed down by way of navy chains of command, like that which was in proof for the bloodbath and deportations at Srebrenica that have been discovered within the Bosnian genocide case to represent genocide (the ICJ’s solely discovering of genocide up to now),” the federal government stated.
As of press time, the FCDO had not but responded to a Put up request for remark.
