The devastating humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza has reached a critical juncture, with families struggling to access even the most basic necessities such as shelter, food, medicine, and sanitation. The UK's £10 million pledge to support early recovery efforts is a timely intervention, but it's just one piece of a much larger puzzle. As Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper made clear at the Palestine Donor Group in Brussels, international momentum behind the 20-point Gaza peace plan must be maintained to prevent it from descending into irrelevance.
The new funding will be channelled through the UN Horizon Fund, which facilitates a Palestinian-led approach to early recovery. This initiative is crucial for rebuilding vital infrastructure such as water and sanitation systems, healthcare facilities, schools, housing, and clearing debris from explosive ordnance. These are not just humanitarian gestures – they are essential building blocks for lasting peace in Gaza, achievable through a two-state solution.
The UK's decision to join the EU-led Team Gaza Initiative is also a significant step towards bolstering international coordination. This coalition of European countries and institutions will work alongside allies to mobilise funding and support worth an estimated €750 million, underscoring the UK's commitment to collaborating with its European partners on complex global challenges.
At the Brussels meeting, co-chaired by the EU and the Palestinian Authority, Foreign Secretary Cooper sounded a stark warning: without urgent action, the 20-point peace plan will be derailed. She highlighted that while some progress has been made in aid levels since the ceasefire, it remains woefully insufficient to meet the desperate needs on the ground – with over 1.7 million people living in overcrowded displacement sites and no functioning hospitals in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary's message was clear: humanitarian support is a critical component of the first phase of the peace process, but its inadequate delivery threatens the entire plan. With more than 1,000 Palestinians killed since the peace plan was agreed, Ms Cooper reiterated the UK's unwavering commitment to supporting early recovery and Palestinian-led reconstruction, stressing that international cooperation must drive progress for the new transitional Palestinian committee to function effectively in Gaza.