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Dear Foreign Secretary, 

We write as a collective of humanitarian and non-governmental organisations regarding the role of the Foreign Secretary’s Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which we understand is currently vacant. As Israeli authorities enforce yet another total blockade of aid to Gaza—an act of collective punishment and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law—we urge you to reaffirm the Representative’s mandate in full and fill the post as a matter of urgency. 

Since his appointment, the former Representative engaged directly with our organisations, as well as senior officials within the Government of Israel, to advocate for increased aid access to Gaza and the easing of operational challenges. 

Given the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, driven by Israel’s policies and practices, there has never been a more critical time for the Foreign Secretary’s Representative for Humanitarian Affairs to carry out their mandate. This role is essential to ensuring the effective delivery of aid and, crucially, promoting the upholding of international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians, both of which have been gravely undermined by Israel’s actions, creating an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. 

The Representative must pay due attention and take meaningful steps towards both advancing effective delivery of aid, and crucially, promoting adherence to IHL and protection of civilians. This should include monitoring and reporting on violations of international humanitarian law, and working to ensure that systematic breaches of international humanitarian law—such as the obstruction of aid, attacks on civilians, and forced displacement—are met with concrete measures to pursue meaningful accountability to prevent their reoccurrence, including through supporting and upholding the decisions and recommendations of key international accountability mechanisms. 

We call on you to urgently appoint the Foreign Secretary’s Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and reaffirm their mandate to include meaningful action to uphold international humanitarian law and protect civilians. At a time when the entire humanitarian architecture and principled operating space are under greater attack from Israeli authorities than ever before, the UK must be a strong champion for principled humanitarian access and action. 

Failure to act now will not only deepen the humanitarian catastrophe but also undermine the UK’s commitment to upholding international law and protecting civilians.  

In light of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and the absence of the Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, we reiterate our request for an urgent meeting with you at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss this matter and the challenges our organisations face in working in Gaza and the West Bank.  

Sincerely, 

Signed By:  

1. Medical Aid for Palestinians 
2. Humanity & Inclusion UK
3. Caabu (Council for Arab-British Understanding) 
4. Welfare Association
5. Save the Children UK 
6. Action for Humanity 
7. Christian Aid 
8. CARE International UK 
9. Islamic Relief UK 
10. Muslim Aid
11. ABCD Bethlehem
12. Interpal
13. War on Want

We, the undersigned organisations, urgently call on the UK Government to take immediate action in response to escalating Israeli forces’ violence in the occupied West Bank, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps. 

Since early 2025, Israeli military attacks have killed at least 66 Palestinians in the West Bank, including eight children. The ongoing siege of Jenin has trapped thousands of Palestinians, restricting access to medical care, water, and electricity. On February 2, 2025, the Israeli military demolished approximately 20 buildings in the Jenin refugee camp, further escalating displacement in the area. This latest operation has compounded an already dire situation, with nearly all of the camp’s 20,000 residents forced from their homes over the past two months.

Despite compelling evidence of unlawful killings, mass forced displacement, and attacks on civilian infrastructure, we have yet to see any meaningful action to protect civilians and prevent atrocities in the West Bank or any condemnation from the UK Government or action to hold the Israeli government and forces accountable. Israeli forces have been using disproportionate, unnecessary, and indiscriminate force – including airstrikes on civilian areas and attacks on medical facilities – which are apparent violations of international human rights laws on the use of force. Yet, there has been no clear or forceful response from the UK Government to demand an end or accountability for these actions.

Israeli forces’ atrocities which concentrated for over 15 months in Gaza are now spilling over into the West Bank, with Israeli forces deploying the same indiscriminate military tactics that have killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza. Severe movement restrictions, including roadblocks and checkpoints, have paralysed daily life and worsened the humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile, settler violence against Palestinians reached unprecedented levels in 2024, with homes set on fire, and Palestinian communities harassed. 

The UK’s failure to respond meaningfully to the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion, which found Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful, is unacceptable. The UK must urgently exert all efforts to ensure that similar patterns of mass killings, displacement, and destruction seen in Gaza do not move to the West Bank, through:

• Publicly condemn Israeli forces’ actions in the West Bank, including the use of disproportionate, unnecessary and indiscriminate force, and demand an immediate halt to military operations.
• Demand an immediate and unconditional lifting of the siege on Jenin, ensuring humanitarian aid reaches those in need, along with the restoration of essential services.
• Suspend all arms transfer to Israel, including the parts of the F-35 fighter jets. 
• Hold Israeli authorities accountable for violations of international law, including unlawful killings and attacks on civilian infrastructure.
• Work with international partners to ensure Israel faces meaningful consequences and that Palestinians are protected under international law.
• Outline a clear plan to end Israel’s continued presence in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and evacuate all settlements, in line with the ICJ Advisory Opinion.

Delay is not measured in time but in Palestinian lives. Every moment of inaction costs more lives. The UK Government must use its diplomatic influence to demand an end to the violence, hold Israeli authorities accountable, and ensure Palestinians’ rights are protected under international law.

The time for action is now. The lives of Palestinians in the West Bank are at stake, and we cannot afford further delay.

Signed by: 

• Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)
• Oxfam GB
• Save the Children UK
• Islamic Relief UK 
• Christian Aid
• Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS)
• Action for Humanity 
• ABCD Bethlehem
• Amos Trust
• Welfare Association 
• Sabeel-Kairos UK 
• Muslim Aid 
• Embrace the Middle East
• Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu)

Since October 2023, Gaza has endured a catastrophic Israeli military assault that has forcibly displaced more than 1.9 million people—nearly 90% of its population. Families are surviving in tents or makeshift shelters with very little protection against the harsh winter. In the North Gaza governorate, where the siege has stretched beyond 100 days, over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed or forcibly disappeared as a result of the Israeli forces’ siege, attacks, and arbitrary detentions. These acts of collective punishment, forced displacement, and the targeting of essential services including medical facilities constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity Israel is committing against Palestinians, as found by the UN Commission of Inquiry.

Despite the overwhelming evidence of these violations, the UK government has failed to act meaningfully. As yet, it has neither secured a permanent ceasefire nor shown willingness to hold Israel accountable. In correspondence with the Foreign Affairs Committee on January 8, Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that “it has not been possible to make an assessment of Israel’s compliance with the principle of proportionality. This is in part due to the opaque and contested information environment in Gaza.”  Lammy further noted the challenges of “accessing the specific and sensitive information necessary from Israel in relation to each incident, such as intended targets, anticipated military advantage, and anticipated civilian harm.” This response is wholly inadequate in the face of the overwhelming evidence of Israel’s illegal and cruel actions in Gaza. Such statements highlight a deliberate unwillingness to confront Israel’s actions and to pursue justice for Palestinians.

The UN Commission of Inquiry has found that Israel’s policies, including the deliberate targeting of medical personnel and facilities, constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crime of extermination. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Palestinians in Gaza have plausible rights to be protected from acts of genocide and that there is a real and imminent risk of irreparable prejudice to these rights. Yet the UK government has failed to meaningfully take action to ensure that the ICJ provisional measures are being implemented, as obligated, or otherwise engage with these findings, effectively allowing Israel to act with impunity. It has also failed to take action to bring the occupation, deemed unlawful by the ICJ, to an end as required by the court’s Advisory Opinion.

 We call on the UK government to take immediate action to ensure accountability and justice for Palestinians. All arms transfers to Israel, including components for F-35 fighter jets sent indirectly, must be suspended. It must respect the work and independence of the ICC, including through committing to enforce arrest warrants issued. This deal alone will not end Palestinian suffering in Gaza, and therefore must be the beginning, and not the end, of a process that will rapidly bring a comprehensive ceasefire, with a lifting of the 17-year long blockade, and end of Israel’s occupation of Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem in line with the ICJ Advisory Opinion. Unrestricted humanitarian access must be facilitated to avert the risk of famine . A comprehensive rebuilding effort must follow, led by Palestinians and with Palestinian self-determination at its core. The UK must also ensure that UNRWA leads Gaza’s aid efforts and must demand the Israeli authorities rescind recent laws and attacks against it.

This is a moment of truth for the UK. To continue shielding Israel from accountability is to abandon the principles of justice and human rights that it claims to uphold. The UK must not be an ally to Israel’s atrocities and must act decisively to end its complicity and demonstrate genuine leadership in the pursuit of peace and justice for Palestinians. Which can only be achieved by ending atrocities, upholding international law, and concrete guarantees to end their recurrence.

Signatories:

1. Medical Aid for Palestinians
2. Oxfam GB 
3. Amnesty International UK
4. Amos Trust
5. Action for Humanity 
6. Islamic Relief UK
7. Christian Aid 
8. Welfare Association 
9. Sabeel-Kairos UK
10. Interpal 
11. Global Justice Now 
12. Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) 
13. ABCD Bethlehem 
14. Embrace the Middle East 
15. Quakers in Britain
16. ActionAid UK 
17. Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS)
18. War on Want

26 October 2024

We call on world leaders to act urgently to protect UNRWA from the unprecedented and dangerous attacks it faces from the Israeli Government. The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee passed two bills on 6 October 2024 aimed at ceasing UNRWA’s operations. These bills await final readings in the Knesset Plenum as soon as 28 October 2024. This could see UNRWA evicted from premises it has held for over 70 years and have its immunities revoked, severely blocking its ability to provide essential services such as healthcare and education to millions of Palestine refugees. This reckless move threatens to dismantle the backbone of the international humanitarian operation in Gaza, aggravating an already catastrophic crisis.

These bills seek to ban UNRWA from operating in areas under Israeli control, which would lead to the closure of its offices in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT). The proposed legislation would also terminate the agreement between Israel and UNRWA from 1967 in which Israel committed to facilitating UNRWA’s work. This will effectively paralyse the agency’s ability to fulfil its mandate as set out by the UN General Assembly in 1949.

Dismantling UNRWA would be catastrophic for Palestinians especially in Gaza and the West Bank as they are deprived of essentials such as food, water, medical aid, education and protection. It will also have catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria where essential humanitarian aid is crucial for both the refugees and the host communities.

These actions are part of the wider strategy of the Government of Israel to delegitimise UNRWA, discredit its support for Palestine refugees, and undermine the international legal framework protecting their rights, including the right of return. If passed, these laws will severely impact not only UNRWA’s operations but also the rights of Palestinian refugees.

If these proposed laws proceed, they will have devastating operational and legal impacts on UNRWA’s ability to provide services in the occupied Palestinian territory, including in Gaza. These laws will not only harm the refugees who rely on UNRWA but also jeopardise the agency’s personnel many of whom have been killed by Israeli attacks, and the ability of other UN and humanitarian agencies to operate. Contrary to claims of concern over UNRWA’s neutrality, the real intent appears to be, in part, to undermine its efforts to uphold the status of Palestine refugees and obstruct a future political resolution.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention. By blocking UNRWA’s operations, Israel is disregarding the ICJ provisional measure to ensure the delivery of life-saving aid into Gaza. The ICJ stated in March 2024 that: “In conformity with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, and in view of the worsening conditions of life faced by Palestinians in Gaza, in particular the spread of famine and starvation, Israel shall: (a) take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full co-operation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance”. According to human rights groups, halting UNRWA’s services is part and parcel of the Israeli authorities’ unlawful siege of the Gaza Strip, which amounts to the war crimes of collective punishment and the use of starvation as a weapon of war.

There is no viable alternative to UNRWA. UNRWA’s essential and irreplaceable role in supporting Palestine refugees cannot be overstated. With a mandate from the UN General Assembly since 1949, UNRWA provides crucial services such as education, healthcare, and social support to millions of refugees. The idea of dismantling or undermining this agency is not only an affront to the values of multilateralism, but it also sets a dangerous precedent with global implications. Unilaterally tearing up UNRWA’s mandate would challenge the integrity of the international system, undermining the trust that underpins cooperative global governance.

We demand that world leaders use all diplomatic means to prevent this legislation from advancing. They must stand against Israel’s illegal actions and uphold the principles of the UN General Assembly Resolution on the ICJ Advisory Opinion (ICJ AO).

This is not a time for silence—it is a call to action. The global community must intervene now before more Palestinians are killed. The people of Gaza cannot endure further delays. Immediate, decisive action is needed to safeguard their rights, uphold their dignity, and enforce the recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion, which ruled Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as unlawful. The future of millions of Palestinians is at stake, and the world must act without hesitation.

Signatories:

1. ActionAid  
2. ABCD Bethlehem  
3. Action for Humanity  
4. Amos Trust  
5. Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz  
6. ATELIER ONGD (Valencia, Spain)  
7. Caabu (Council for Arab-British Understanding)  
8. Children Not Numbers  
9. Christian Aid  
10. Colectivo CALA (Extremadura, Spain)  
11. COODECyL (Castilla y León Platform of Cooperation Organizations)  
12. Coordinadora Andaluza de ONGD  
13. Coordinadora Cántabra de ONGD  
14. Coordinadora de ONGD Castilla La Mancha  
15. Coordinadora de ONGD de Canarias (CONGDCA)  
16. Coordinadora de ONGD de La Rioja  
17. Coordinadora de ONGD de Navarra  
18. Coordinadora Extremeña de ONGD  
19. Coordinadora Galega de ONG para o Desenvolvemento  
20. Coordinadora Valenciana de ONGD  
21. DanChurchAid  
22. Embrace the Middle East  
23. Euskadiko GGKEen Koordinakundea  
24. Federación Aragonesa de Solidaridad  
25. FONSA  
26. Gender Action for Peace and Security (GAPS)  
27. Global Justice Now  
28. Humanity & Inclusion – Handicap International  
29. Human Rights Watch  
30. INTERSOS
31. Johanniter International Assistance  
32. La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo – Spain  
33. Lafede.cat – Organitzacions per a la Justícia Global  
34. Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights  
35. Medico International  
36. Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP)  
37. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)  
38. Middle East Children’s Alliance  
39. Movimiento Extremeño por la Paz  
40. Movimiento Por la Paz – MPDL  
41. Médicos del Mundo España  
42. NOVACT Institute for Nonviolence  
43. Norwegian People’s Aid  
44. Oxfam  
45. Quakers in Britain  
46. Sabeel-Kairos UK  
47. Sodepaz  
48. The Huauquipura Association  
49. United Against Inhumanity  
50. War Child  
51. War on Want  
52. Welfare Association