UNRWA and UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip 2023 to 2026

This briefing sets out UK aid commitments to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) since 2023, the position and role of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and Israeli Government legislation on the agency and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that came into effect in 2025 and 2026.

The Commons Library briefing Israel and the OPTs in 2025: UK and international response summarises events in the 2023 to 2025 Israel–Hamas conflict, the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and the UK response. The briefing Humanitarian access to Gaza and international response: October 2023 to January 2025 (9990a) details aid access between October 2023 and January 2025, before the ceasefire-hostage agreement of January 2025.

What is the level of need in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2025/26?

The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) publishes regular updates on the humanitarian situation in the OPTs, including the level of humanitarian need, casualties, infrastructure damage, and aid access (for more, see UNOCHA’s reports on the humanitarian situation and response and reported impact).

In February 2025 the UN, EU and World Bank published an interim damage and needs assessment of Gaza. This estimated that 95% of hospitals were non-functional, 91% of the population had high levels of acute food insecurity (1.8 million people), and 100% of education facilities were fully destroyed or partially damaged. It estimated that reconstruction and recovery costs were US $53 billion, including $20 billion in the next three years.

While there was not the same level of conflict in the West Bank between 2023 and 2025, increased violence has led to a rise in job losses, home learning for students, and $1.3 billion in lost activity in the commerce and industry sectors.

How much UK aid has been committed?

Between 2009 and 2024, the UK provided a total of £932 million in bilateral aid (aid for a specific programme or purpose) to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In 2022, the UK gave £23 million (the lowest amount in any year since 2009); in 2023 this increased to £42 million and in 2024 to £138 million.

In 2025/26, the UK is planning to provide £116 million of aid. A breakdown has not been published. In 2024/25, UK aid included £10 million, via the World Bank, for the Palestinian Authority (in the West Bank) to pay public sector salaries. It also included £34 million for UNRWA.

How is UK aid spending monitored?

The UK Government states no aid is provided to Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, and which is designated a terrorist organisation by the UK and is subject to UK sanctions.

Due to “prioritisation exercises” in aid budget, the UK has not provided direct aid to the Palestinian Authority since 2021, though some technical assistance is provided through commercial organisations. In 2025, the government said it anticipated giving some direct support to the Palestinian Authority. Funding to aid Palestinian Authority’s reforms has been announced.

The government says all UK aid to the OPTs “undergoes rigorous oversight”. This includes field visits, annual audits, due diligence assessments, mapping of downstream partners of the funding.

The government also has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Palestinian Authority, in which the authority commits to uphold the principles of non-violence, respect international law and commit to taking action against incitement to violence (among other elements). The UK raises any concerns directly with the Palestinian Authority. A further MoU was agreed in 2025, which includes collaboration on development.

Suspension of future funding to UNRWA

UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide assistance and services for Palestinian refugees displaced between 1946 and 1948, as well as their descendants. UNRWA works in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. UNRWA supports around 5.9 million people.

In January 2024, alongside other donors including the European Union and United States, the UK said it would pause future funding decisions on UNRWA in response to reports that “several” UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October 2023 Hamas assault against Israel. UNWRA sacked some staff following the allegations. Two reviews were commissioned by the UN:

• Colonna Review: published on 22 April 2024. This set out 50 recommendations for UNRWA, including more screening of UNRWA staff. UNRWA and the UN accepted the recommendations in full, while Israel argued these were “cosmetic” changes and said it would no longer work with UNRWA. The review also noted that in 2024 Israel had not provided supporting evidence that UNRWA staff were members of terrorist groups.
• UN Office of Oversight Services: completed on 5 August 2024. The report investigated allegations against 19 area staff members, though noted it was unable to independently authenticate information used by Israel to support its allegations against UNRWA staff. UNRWA sacked nine staff who it says “may have been involved” in the 7 October 2023 assault.

All countries that paused funding, except the US, restored funding to UNRWA in 2024. The Trump administration has said it will not provide any aid to UNWRA.

Announcing the decision to restore UK funding in July 2024, the then Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, welcomed the review and UNRWA’s implementation plan to ensure it meets the “highest standards of neutrality”. The government said it would monitor UNRWA’s progress on implementing its action plan and continue to conduct its own annual assessment of UK funding to UNRWA. UK funding in 2024/25 included £1 million to support reforming UNRWA.

As of October 2025, UNRWA says that it has “fully implemented” 21 of the Colonna review’s 50 recommendations, and that the other 29 “continue on schedule”.

2024 to 2026 Israeli actions on UNRWA 2024 and 2025 legislation banning engagement

In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset (Parliament) passed two bills which ban Israeli officials from engaging with UNRWA and UNRWA from working in Israeli territory and East Jerusalem. The bills came into force in January 2025. In December 2025, the Knesset passed a further bill, intended to further define the policy of non-contact. This included no longer providing utilities to sites owned by UNRWA and removing its diplomatic immunity under Israeli law.

International response

Israel has said it will continue to work with other UN agencies to deliver aid. The US says it is a matter for states to decide which international organisations they work with.

In 2024, the UN General Assembly requested an advisory opinion from the UN’s highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Israel’s obligations towards UN agencies. In its opinion of October 2025, the ICJ said that Israel should “facilitate by all means at its disposal relief schemes on behalf of the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory so long as that population is inadequately supplied”. This included via UNRWA.

The UK, together with states including France and Japan, UNRWA, and the UN Secretary General have called for Israel to repeal its legislation and allow UNRWA to operate. The UN General Assembly welcomed the ICJ opinion in a vote in December 2025. Israel and the US voted against the resolution.

Effects of the legislation on UNRWA

As of early 2026, UNRWA says it has been unable to directly bring in humanitarian assistance or international staff into Gaza since March 2025. Israel has also entered several UNRWA sites in East Jerusalem, including schools and health centres. In January 2026, Israel entered and began to demolish parts of a compound previously used by UNRWA as its headquarters in East Jerusalem. The UK and UNRWA have condemned the actions.

Registration laws for international NGOs Registration requirements

In 2025, the Israeli Government introduced new regulations requiring the registration of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) whose primary role is providing welfare to Palestinians. These requirements came into effect in 2026.

To be registered, INGOs must provide local staffing details and other information to the Israeli government and meet a range of tests, including not having denied “the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state” and not having called for a boycott of Israel. The Israeli Government argues the regulations will address “foreign entities” who “under the guise of humanitarian work, seek to undermine the [Israeli] state”.

Affected organisations

As of January 2026, around 37 INGOs have said they will no longer be registered by Israel, affecting their ability to enter Gaza and supply aid from Israel. In a statement, 54 INGOs have argued transferring data will “breach humanitarian principles, duty of care and data protection obligations”.

Organisations affected include ActionAid, the International Rescue Committee, Médecins Sans Frontières and the Norwegian Refugee Council. An estimated 137 INGOs were registered in Israel, as of March 2025. At the end of January 2026, 27 organisations have been registered.

The UK has issued a joint statement with nine other states, including France and Japan, calling for Israel to stop the “forced closure” of INGOs. The statement says that a third of Gaza’s healthcare facilities will close and that the INGOs have collectively helped implement $1 billion in aid across the OPTs each year.

Update log

March 2025: Moved section on aid access points into Gaza from October 2023 to January 2025 into seperate document (9990a).

June 2025: Added UK aid for 2025/26, position of UNRWA, and proposed NGO law in Israel.

November 2025: Added UK aid details, UN Secretary General review of UNRWA mandate, and ICJ advisory opinion in October

February 2026: Added information on Israeli actions on UNRWA and International NGOs and UK response