Key Developments
On 26 August 2026, HM Government urged Israel and Hamas at the UN Security Council to comply with Resolution 2803, restore aid access in Gaza, halt actions undermining peace, and address West Bank settlement expansion. The statement cited Gaza's humanitarian crisis and called for accountability for violence against civilians, according to HM Government.
Key Statistics
- 1.9 million people were displaced in Gaza, according to HM Government
- 59% of Gaza's population faced food insecurity, according to HM Government
- $5.8 billion in Palestinian revenues was described as trapped, according to HM Government
- $6 billion in Palestinian revenues was described as withheld, according to HM Government
- 7 humanitarian workers were killed in the World Central Kitchen convoy strike cited in a related joint statement, according to HM Government
Main Body
On 26 August 2026, HM Government told the UN Security Council that Israel and Hamas had to meet commitments under Resolution 2803 and avoid steps that weakened peace efforts. The UK statement linked that demand to Gaza's humanitarian crisis, the need to restore aid, and concerns over Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, according to HM Government.
The HM Government statement said 1.9 million people were displaced in Gaza, 59% of the population faced food insecurity, $5.8 billion in Palestinian revenues was trapped and $6 billion was being withheld. The statement called for aid to resume, condemned violence against civilians and said accountability was required for conduct that damaged peace efforts, according to HM Government.
The position followed related government diplomacy on the same conflict. On 21 August 2026, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs published a joint statement from Germany, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom condemning tenders for the E1 settlement project and saying expansion undermined a two-state solution and international law. On 21 August 2026, HM Government joined Australia and Canada in criticising Israel's closure of the investigation into strikes on a World Central Kitchen convoy that killed 7 humanitarian workers.
The developments mattered because they tied humanitarian access, Palestinian fiscal capacity, civilian protection and West Bank policy to the viability of a negotiated settlement, as HM Government framed the issue before the Security Council. For diplomats, the UK stance placed compliance with UN commitments and limits on settlement activity at the centre of its Gaza and West Bank diplomacy, according to HM Government and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
