The key facts

  • 53 countries and organizations signed the 'Call to Action on Humanitarian Access and Health Care in Gaza' led by the United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan
  • The statement was delivered by the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Sarah Macintosh, at a briefing at UN headquarters
  • The signatories stated that the level of humanitarian aid agreed on January 19, 2025 has not yet reached Gaza

A collective appeal as winter approaches

A group of 53 countries and organizations, among them Turkey, on Thursday called on Israel to ensure rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. The statement on behalf of the signatories of the 'Call to Action on Humanitarian Access and Health Care in Gaza' — an initiative led by the United Kingdom, Qatar and Jordan — was delivered by the UK Permanent Representative to the UN, Sarah Macintosh, at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York.

Unfulfilled obligations and health risks

Macintosh recalled that the comprehensive peace plan endorsed by UN Security Council resolution 2803 provides for the immediate entry into Gaza of the full volume of humanitarian aid at a level no lower than that agreed on January 19, 2025 — but, in her words, this 'has not yet been implemented.' She acknowledged that after the ceasefire in October 2025, progress in the humanitarian situation is possible 'when political will allows,' but stressed that with the onset of winter, far too many residents of Gaza remain without adequate shelter and risk hypothermia, respiratory infections, waterborne diseases and other preventable illnesses.

Demands on Israel's new government

Following the elections in Israel, the signatories of the appeal called on the country's incoming government to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Gaza through all available crossings and land routes. Macintosh also called on Israel to restore the route for referring patients for treatment to hospitals in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, to open and expedite transparent criminal investigations into attacks on medical and humanitarian workers, and to admit senior international delegations and journalists into Gaza. She added that the gathered countries commit to supporting humanitarian efforts, including urgent winter preparedness: shelter, water, sanitation and medicines to reduce suffering and risks to public health.