UK steps up Palestine aid with £88m package for healthcare, clean water in Gaza

The British Government has announced an £88 million aid package to provide healthcare, clean water and protection to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.The funding will support medical consultations, mental health services and rehabilitation for children who have suffered blast injuries. It will also cover waste management, sanitation and hygiene services.The package is part of the £127 million allocated to Palestine under the UK's Official Development Assistance budget for the 2026/27 financial year.Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called for civilians in Gaza to have unhindered access to humanitarian aid and urged the Israeli government to lift what he described as “unacceptable restrictions” on Gaza.“It is vital that civilians in Gaza have unhindered access to aid,” Miliband said.“The UK is pledging a major new package of aid to provide much needed healthcare support to those desperately in need.”He added: “We urge the government of Israel to listen to our call to action and take steps to end its unacceptable restrictions on Gaza.”The announcement comes amid a reset in the UK's diplomatic ties with Benjamin Netanyahu's administration. The UK had previously banned goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.Israel and the US criticised that policy, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced retaliatory measures that included closing the UK consulate in Jerusalem and imposing entry bans on 11 British MPs.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.