Students interact at the Islamic University after the resumption of classes during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza City, on December 2, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
London: Britain has called for the opening of all crossings into Gaza to ensure unhindered humanitarian access, stressing the urgent necessity of allowing aid delivery without delay.
It also criticised the prolonged delays in aid reaching Gaza, noting that a shipment of more than 1,100 UK‑funded tents sent to the enclave took over a year to arrive.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper expressed concern that other UK‑funded assistance has still been unable to reach the population, despite the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with the United Nations estimating that 1.5 million people are in urgent need of shelter amid worsening weather and falling temperatures before winter, Cooper warned, welcoming the arrival of the aid but noting that it is just a step toward the major reconstruction Gaza needs.
Earlier this year, another consignment of aid was stuck at the border in Jordan. This cannot be allowed to continue, she stressed.
Cooper further caveated that the arrival of these tents shows the scale of potential impact when UK‑funded aid gets through, emphasizing that the UK will continue to do all it can to urge unhindered humanitarian access, the opening of all crossings, the implementation of the peace plan, and a path to peace.
According to the UN, as many as 1.9 million Gazans have been displaced, i.e., nearly 90 percent of the population, since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023.
