BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom – On July 4, 2024, the British government announced in a press release that David Lammy would visit Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. On his first trip to the Middle East since taking office as Foreign Secretary, Lammy announced that the government would donate $7 million to UK-Med’s relief work in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas and called for an urgent ceasefire, stressing the need for a sustainable two-state solution. Lammy further said that recognition of a Palestinian state was the “indisputable right” of its citizens.
Conditions in Gaza and the struggle for access
Since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, 2023, more than 38,000 Gazan men, women and children have been killed. Thousands more have been injured and about a million have been displaced. In June, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that only 14 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remained. With the surviving hospitals struggling to keep up with the scale of the damage, the humanitarian needs in Gaza are immense.
Lammy described the scenes in Gaza as “unbearable”. He stated that “aid must come into the country without restrictions so that it can reach the people of Gaza”. Lammy stressed the “ambition and commitment” of the British government to “play its full diplomatic role in securing a ceasefire agreement”. The Foreign Secretary stressed unrestricted access at a time when more than 680 tonnes of aid are waiting in the UK and unable to reach Gaza. This aid includes urgently needed medicines, hygiene items and shelter. This restriction is due to the lack of humanitarian corridors where staff can safely deliver and distribute the aid.
United Nations (UN) emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths has reiterated the same message, warning that an estimated one million people (about half of Gaza’s population) face starvation and starvation this summer unless an “unhindered flow” of humanitarian aid is urgently enabled to the region.
How UK-Med helps
UK-Med’s relief work in Gaza, which emerged in January 2024 from a specialised team responding to the WHO’s call for help, has grown into its largest humanitarian operation. The organisation is a “frontline humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO)” supported by volunteer medical professionals from the National Health Service (NHS). In times of crisis, UK-Med’s health professionals are ready to reach disaster areas and provide life-saving medical care.
David Wightwick, CEO of UK-Med, described the situation in Gaza as the “most difficult” he has seen in his 25 years of humanitarian work. Despite these immense difficulties, the organisation has saved numerous lives and limbs and treated over 70,000 people in Gaza. It has also built two hospitals in the region to meet the “overwhelming healthcare needs”. The UK government’s contribution will help UK-Med to continue its vital assistance in Gaza.
The future of the British contribution
Since the UK-Med press release, Lammy has also announced that the UK government will resume funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was put on hold after Israel claimed the agency was involved in the October 7 Hamas attack. In Gaza, UNRWA is recognised as “the most visible and effective” aid donor in the region.
The $7 million pledged by the Secretary of State to UK-Med will help strengthen health facilities and provide essential items such as trauma kits and surgical sets for medical staff. With the support of the government, UK-Med’s relief work in Gaza will continue to save lives.
– Maeve Relihan
Maeve lives in Birmingham, UK, and focuses on global health and policy for the Borgen Project.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
