UK aid is providing emergency food including rice, sugar and chickpeas to 62,000 Palestinian refugees in Gaza who are at risk of going hungry.

Refugees in Gaza are extremely vulnerable following recurrent bouts of conflict, restrictions on access and movement, high poverty rates, high unemployment levels and rising costs of living. According to the UN, around 80 per cent of Gazan households are dependent on food aid.

To meet their emergency and basic needs UK aid is providing essentials including flour, rice, sugar, chickpeas, sunflower oil, whole milk, lentils and canned sardines to counter food supply problems affecting refugees who are unable to afford rising food prices in Gaza.

Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt said:

I am deeply concerned about the worsening situation in the Gaza strip, and once again UK aid gives a message to the people of Gaza that we have not forgotten them or their plight. It is right that we act to make sure that refugees in Gaza know where their next meal will come from and improve the dignity of their lives. We have been clear that a political settlement is the only way to ensure lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis alike. All parties must redouble their political efforts and return to the negotiating table, not only to address the deteriorating conditions in Gaza, but to ensure tragedies of the past months are not repeated.

The package is part of wider support to Gaza through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), through which UK aid is providing healthcare and education to 1.3 million people in Gaza, as well as more than 800,000 refugees in the West Bank.

Notes to editors