Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced that the UK is working closely with Jordan to facilitate aid drops into Gaza, as the humanitarian crisis in the region worsens. The initiative comes amid mounting pressure on the British government to recognise a Palestinian state, with over 220 MPs more than half from Labour signing a letter urging recognition as a step toward a two-state solution.
The UK has deployed a small team of military planners to assist Jordan in organising the airdrops. These efforts follow Israel’s recent agreement to allow foreign countries to deliver aid via air, a move many believe has come too late to address the urgent needs on the ground.
“The UK will pull every lever to get life-saving aid to Palestinians,” Starmer wrote in The Mirror, adding that the government is also accelerating efforts to evacuate critically ill children for treatment in the UK.
However, critics argue that airdrops are largely symbolic and ineffective. Labour MP Sarah Champion, who spearheaded the letter for Palestinian state recognition, warned on BBC Radio 4 that current methods of aid delivery resemble “grotesque hunger games,” with survival depending on strength, not need.
Champion emphasised that only the full reopening of all border crossings by Israel would allow sufficient aid to reach Gaza and avert a deepening man-made famine. The World Food Programme has sounded the alarm, revealing that nearly one in three Gazans are going days without food and that 90,000 women and children urgently require malnutrition treatment.
The method of airdropping aid has previously led to tragic outcomes. In March 2024, five people were killed when a parachute malfunctioned, and 12 others drowned attempting to retrieve aid parcels dropped into the sea.
While the UK has contributed over 100 tonnes of aid through previous air missions, humanitarian organisations continue to caution against relying solely on such deliveries.
The push for Palestinian statehood recognition is gaining traction internationally, with French President Emmanuel Macron promising recognition within months. Starmer has indicated that UK recognition must be part of a broader peace strategy, aimed at achieving a long-term two-state solution.
