The UK on Thursday pledged £4 million to help a UN peacekeeping body clear land mines in the enclave.
Yvette Cooper will visit the Middle East this week to step up calls for the flow of aid into Gaza amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The UK on Thursday pledged £4 million to help a UN body clear land mines in the enclave which officials say are currently blocking the safe passage of humanitarian assistance.
The Foreign Secretary warned the “desperate situation” in the territory could not be alleviated “without clearing munitions and making progress on the pathway for lasting peace”.
The funding for United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is aimed at removing 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions currently blocking the safe passage of aid into the strip, the Foreign Office said.
Ms Cooper visited the Halo project in Wilton, Wiltshire, on Thursday to meet British deminers working in Gaza ahead of her trip to the region, which will take place at the end of the week.
She said: “The situation in Gaza is desperate without the vital humanitarian support they need.
“We must do everything we can to flood Gaza with aid. Today I am announcing £4 million for the United Nations Mine Action Service in Gaza, funding that will help clear the explosives and rubble as part of the UK’s effort to ensure aid can be delivered safely.
“We will not be able to get relief at the scale so desperately needed in Gaza without clearing munitions and making progress on the pathway for lasting peace.”
The Foreign Office said the passage of aid was a “vital component” of the truce brokered by US President Donald Trump and would help the transition from the ceasefire to phase two of the peace plan.
UNMAS chief of design, operational support and oversight Richard Boulter said the service was “pulling out all the stops” to tackle the threat of unexploded ordnance and that the UK’s support was “an essential boost”.
The Foreign Office said Ms Cooper would “continue her drive for aid access, support for the UN and humanitarian NGOs, and action on reconstruction on a visit to the region at the end of the week”.
