Largest UK aid delivery enters Gaza to feed 275,000 people via Jordanian land corridor

AMMAN — The UK embassy in Jordan announced on Thursday that the UK’s largest delivery of aid to Gaza has crossed the border and is being distributed by the United Nations to families in need.

According to a statement to The Jordan Times by the UK embassy in Amman, more than 2,000 tonnes of food aid, funded by the UK government, is being distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP) on the ground. 

This adds to the 150 tonnes of UK-funded relief items including blankets and tents, which arrived on March 13 and will be distributed by UNICEF. A full UK field hospital run by UK-Med has also arrived in Gaza and is now operational and providing life-saving care, the statement added.

The delivery includes fortified wheat flour for use in bakeries, hot meals and well as ready-to-eat (RTE) food parcels. The food parcels will be used to feed more than 275,000 people in Gaza. Each food parcel is designed for a family of 5 and consists of canned vegetables, meat and fish, and date bars. The parcel can meet half of the daily calorie needs of the family for 15 days, the statement said.  

This comes in the week that a report from Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip and the south faces a risk of famine if conditions continue to worsen.  

British Ambassador to Jordan, Philip Hall recently said that  “More than 2,000 tonnes of UK-funded food aid has entered Gaza this week.  It is being distributed by the World Food Programme.  Much of it reached Gaza thanks to Jordanian facilitation. This assistance is desperately needed and highlights the importance of partnerships in providing relief to people in Gaza.”

Foreign Secretary David Cameron recently said, “It’s crucial that we keep the flow of aid moving into Gaza to end the suffering, and that’s why this latest delivery of aid by WFP is so vitally important.  

He added, “The IPC’s report warns of imminent famine.  We need sustained humanitarian access by road to get more aid in. We continue to push Israel to allow more crossings to open and for longer, and for healthcare, water and sanitation to be restored. “

The statement also said, "The latest delivery was again facilitated by Jordan, who has been instrumental in supporting the UK’s humanitarian response. Since the opening of the corridor in December 2023, the Government of Jordan, with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, has worked to ensure the passage of almost 600 trucks of humanitarian assistance into Gaza carrying 8,000 tonnes of relief and food items.  Humanitarian assistance from 10 different international aid agencies — including from UK partners WFP and UNICEF — has reached Gaza."

The UK is committed to ensuring aid reaches those who need it most, as Palestinians continue to face a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has been clear that Israel must increase its capacity to safely distribute aid within Gaza. This includes opening a land crossing in the north and issuing more visas to UN staff who are capable of delivering aid when it arrives in Gaza, the statement added.