West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA: FAQs
UK aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)
Information on the UK response to the 2023/24 Israel-Hamas conflict between October 2023 and July 2024.
Israel-Hamas conflict: UK response October 2023 to July 2024 (601 KB , PDF)
Note on updates: This briefing describes the UK response to the 2023/24 Israel-Hamas conflict from 7 October 2023 to 5 July 2024 (when a new UK Parliament and Government were elected). It will no longer be updated. Information on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories since July 2024 can be found in the Commons Library briefing, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: UK response to the conflict since July 2024. |
On 7 October 2023 the Palestinian group Hamas, officially designated a terrorist group by many countries including Israel, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, commenced an armed assault against Israel. It launched several thousand rockets into Israel and conducted attacks in border areas, killing around 1,200 civilians and taking 253 hostages, as part of what it called “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”.
In response, in October Israel conducted air strikes against Hamas in Gaza and launched a ground attack to “destroy Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home”. Hamas also continued to fire rockets into Israel. On 24 June, the Israeli Prime Minister said that the “intense phase” of fighting in Gaza would end “very soon”.
This briefing provides information on the UK response from 7 October 2023 to 5 July 2024 (when a new UK Government took office), including activity at the UN and statements from the government and opposition parties. The Commons Library research briefing, 2023/24 Israel-Hamas conflict: US, UN, EU and regional response details the international response to the conflict, including actions at the UN Security Council, the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court, and violence in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.
Fighting has been centred on southern Gaza and the Rafah crossing into Egypt, where in May 2024 Israel announced it would conduct “limited” operations against Hamas. It ordered the evacuation of more than 100,000 Palestinians from the eastern Rafah. An estimated 950,000 had left by July.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees estimated 1.7 million people in Gaza (77% of its 2.2 million population) were displaced (to July).
Citing Israeli authorities, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health and Palestinian civil defense, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says that from 7 October to 3 July 2024, more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were reported killed and 5,432 injured. At least 37,953 Palestinians were reported killed, a further 10,000 were missing or under rubble, and about 87,266 injured across Gaza and Israel.
There were also ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah (also a proscribed terrorist group in the UK) in Lebanon and northern Israel. Other Iran-supported groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria have launched attacks on civilian shipping and against US and Israeli targets.
On 13 April 2024 Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel. It said this was in retaliation for an attack on its consulate in Syria, launching 330 drones and missiles (of which 99% were intercepted).
From 24 November to 1 December, a pause took place to enable the release of hostages. Before the pause began, Israel said it would last no longer than 10 days and that fighting would then resume. The pause enabled the release of 110 hostages from Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israel.
UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2728, passed in March 2024, which called for an immediate ceasefire and release of hostages during Ramadan, and which the UK supported, was not implemented. Israel criticized the resolution for failing to condemn Hamas and argued it gave Hamas “hope that international pressure will force a ceasefire without the release of our hostages”. The Palestinian Authority called for an immediate ceasefire.
On 10 June the UNSC passed a resolution introduced by the United States for a three-stage plan to end the conflict, backed by Israel. Its first stage includes the release of many hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, an increase in aid, and withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza. The UNSC called on Hamas and Israel to implement the agreement. Israel said it remained committed to destroying Hamas in Gaza.
Update log: This briefing paper was last updated in May 2024. A further update was published on 11 September 2024 to include events between May 2024 and July 2024.
Israel-Hamas conflict: UK response October 2023 to July 2024 (601 KB , PDF)
UK aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)
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