Minister Doughty told the House of Commons that Britain stands ready to use its widened sanctions powers against anyone who keeps blocking aid to Gaza. He also urged Israel to open crossings after storms last weekend flooded camps for displaced people.
His statement also covered Yemen and Sudan. He announced extra money for UNICEF and listed specific requests to the Israeli government. He summed up his message to Israeli authorities in four words: "let the aid in".
What London wants from Israel
Doughty's first request was that crossing points be opened, beginning with Erez in the north of Gaza. He asked Israel to permit dual-use goods on more days and to shorten the list of items classed that way. That change, he said, would let shelter supplies, medical equipment and drugs reach the people who depend on them. He also wants journalists, diplomats and Foreign Ministers admitted. He said he had personally seen goods held back without any justification he could identify.
Supplies held outside
Citing UN figures, the minister said donors and humanitarian partners have paid for more than 150,000 tents and 300,000 tarpaulins that now sit outside the territory. According to the UN, Israeli authorities have not let them in. Doughty added that timber is also being stopped, so Gaza has no emergency shelter kits at all.
The UN has warned that tents on their own will not keep floodwater out. Doughty said equipment for drainage and clearing rubble is urgently required, and that allowing it in rests solely with Israel's government. As the occupying power, he said, Israel is bound by strict legal duties.
He listed other recent interruptions. Commercial deliveries stopped temporarily in September after reports that Hamas was taxing them. On November 3, Israeli authorities shut the route from Egypt for six days, citing smuggling allegations.
Storm damage
Gaza is now in its fourth winter of conflict. Humanitarian partners told the UK that more than 152,000 people were affected by the storms. Over 6000 shelters were destroyed and 17,400 were damaged, while nearly 4,000 households lost their shelter entirely. A mother and her three children died when a sand embankment gave way onto their tents.
Doughty said more than 1,600 people have been killed since a ceasefire he called "so-called". He also referred to overnight reports that at least six people died when Israel carried out an airstrike on Nasser Hospital, located in the south of Gaza.
UK funding
The UK has already given UNICEF £14 million this year. The new £5 million comes from the UK's bilateral budget and will go to the winter response, including the effects of the weekend flooding. Across all of Britain's support, the stated goals include blankets for 150,000 people and tarpaulins for 62,500, alongside family tents for 1,250 households and warm clothes for 100,000 children. Separately, the government expects its £88 million of humanitarian funding this financial year to bring healthcare to up to 900,000 people and safe water to 150,000.
Security, Yemen and sanctions
Doughty said the UK recognises Israel's legitimate security concerns and condemns Hamas's 7 October attack. He said Britain remains fully committed to Resolution 2803 and the 20-Point Peace Plan. In his words, Hamas must give up its weapons and terrorist infrastructure and hand over control of Gaza. He said the UK's long-term aim remains a two-state solution.
On Yemen, he blamed the Houthis' return to fighting for worsening conditions there. According to the minister, upwards of 330,000 Yemenis have been displaced since August, and civilian casualties exceed 1,000. He said a Houthi siege of Taiz is still in place. The UK is giving Yemen £104 million in humanitarian support, which includes £10 million recently pledged to the UN's emergency fund.
On sanctions, Doughty said preparations are under way for a regime aimed at illegal settlement activity, first announced in September. Britain has also broadened the GHR regime so that it now reaches grave breaches of international humanitarian law, among them obstructing aid. The UK recently sanctioned 15 senior RSF and SAF commanders over the conflict in Sudan. He declined to discuss future designations.
