UK pledges £88 million in aid for Gaza covering healthcare, clean water and sanitation

From the Newshound archive · first published 24 September 2026 · last updated 25 September 2026.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband unveiled an £88 million aid package for Gaza and the West Bank at the UN General Assembly, targeting healthcare, clean water, sanitation and mental health services for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The funding sits within the £127 million bilateral aid budget for Palestine in 2026/27. Both Israel and the US have pushed back against the UK's position, with Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar responding by announcing retaliatory measures that include shutting the UK's consulate in Jerusalem.

The announcement coincided with the British Army scaling back training exercises to bridge a £30 million funding gap.

Reform's Robert Jenrick urged Miliband to drop the package and 'build a new hospital wing in Grimsby, not Gaza.'

Not all of the £88m is new money — the total includes aid already announced through UNRWA and the UN Horizon Fund.