“The people of Gaza cannot afford to wait” for aid, says Foreign Secretary

• The Foreign Secretary is in Jordan today (Monday 3 Nov) to call for increased aid access as a vital step towards a genuine pathway to peace

• She will visit a warehouse to see first-hand how aid efforts are being impeded at the border and announce £6 million in new UK funding set to provide life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and girls in Gaza alongside other humanitarian crises globally 

• £1 million in UK funding going to train Palestinian Security Forces based in the West Bank to build their capacity and capability to maintain security in the State of Palestine    

The UK is intensifying humanitarian efforts across the Middle East, with Jordan continuing as a key hub for aid coordination and delivery. 

During her visit to Jordan, the Foreign Secretary will witness first-hand the scale of the crisis, visiting a warehouse full of UK aid stuck at the border, awaiting access into Gaza. 

While in the Middle East, the Foreign Secretary is pushing for all crossings into Gaza to open, restrictions on aid to be lifted, the UN and NGOs to be able to complete their lifesaving work and building on President Trump's peace plan for long-term reconstruction. In Jordan, the Foreign Secretary will meet leaders to discuss efforts by the UK and Jordan to support the ceasefire and people of Gaza and regional stability.

Three weeks on from the ceasefire, there has been some improvement in the level of aid entering Gaza, however this remains insufficient to meet needs and must be rapidly scaled up to ease the desperate suffering.  

Aid will help address the needs of the most vulnerable. Every week in Gaza at least 15 births take place outside hospitals, many without a skilled attendant, putting both mother and newborn at grave risk.  

In response to this urgent need, the Foreign Secretary will announce £6 million in new funding from the UK to the United Nations Population Fund to provide life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and young people in Gaza and experiencing crisis across the globe, including antenatal and postnatal care, family planning services, and protection against gender-based violence.  

This follows the £4 million announced this week, supporting the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) to clear unexploded ordnance and ensure safe delivery of aid. 

Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper said:  

“Essential UK aid, including food and shelter supplies, have been stuck in warehouses for months on end. The people of Gaza cannot afford to wait.  

“No woman or girl should die unnecessarily in pregnancy when she could be helped, be left at risk of sexual violence, or suffer the indignity of being unable to manage her period.  

“That is why this government is funding £6 million of UK aid to provide life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare for women and girls in Gaza and beyond. 

“There is no time to lose in delivering relief and making meaningful progress toward a lasting peace.”  

During her visit to Jordan, the Foreign Secretary will meet girls at an UNRWA school supported by UK funding and visit a hospital where children who have arrived in the UK for NHS medical care were treated and see the ongoing work to provide medical assessments, and vaccinations to children and families from Gaza. 

Beyond humanitarian aid, the Foreign Secretary will also focus on peace and security. In Jordan, she will visit UK-supported training facilities for the Security Forces, announcing up to £1 million UK funding to train Palestinian Security Forces based in the West Bank to build their capacity and capability to maintain security in the State of Palestine.   

As part of the UK's commitment to the US-led ceasefire and President Trump's peace initiative, the Foreign Secretary will meet with regional leaders and international partners to drive forward progress towards reconstruction and lasting peace.   

Notes to Editors

• The UNFPA Humanitarian Thematic Fund (HTF) provides lifesaving commodities such as emergency birth kits and other medical kits required by maternity clinics, and services such as psychosocial support for survivors of gender-based violence, safe spaces for women and girls, and dignity kits. 
• The UK is providing £6 million to the Fund. In 2025, the Fund is supporting responses include large operations such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Syria as well as other crises such as Chad, South Sudan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. This builds on existing support the UK is already providing to UNFPA, announced in August: UK announces new support for women and girls in Gaza - GOV.UK 
• This year, the fund is expected to reach 1.6 million people with sexual and reproductive health services as well as Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention, risk mitigation and response activities.