Tracy Gilbert, Member of Parliament for Edinburgh North and Leith, has called on the Israeli government to let aid flow freely into Gaza after travelling to Jordan this week with an International Development Committee delegation to meet senior representatives of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and discuss the urgent need to expand humanitarian access into Gaza.
During the visit, Gilbert received briefings on the humanitarian situation and the barriers to aid delivery. UNRWA officials warned that restrictions on aid deliveries are contributing to severe shortages of food, clean water, medical supplies and shelter.
The delegation visited the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation (JHCO), which operates a warehouse storing humanitarian aid from a range of organisations, including the UK Government and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). There, Gilbert saw large quantities of food, baby formula and medical supplies, including prosthetics, ready for delivery to Gaza, but was told that much of the aid remains unable to reach those in need.
The delegation visit came on the same week that the UK Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon. Yvette Cooper MP, told the House of Commons that less than half of the aid promised in the 20-Point Peace Place is entering Gaza.
In the House of Commons, she said: “There are families without shelter and a public health crisis, with rodent infestations and communicable disease, and we are currently at barely half the level of the 4,200 trucks a week promised in the 20-point plan.”
Tracy Gilbert MP said: “Gaza is facing catastrophic conditions, and the international community has a responsibility to ensure that relief reaches those who need it most. Sadly, after briefings on the ground in Jordan this week it only served to reinforce my concerns about the lack of access and progress made since the peace plan had been agreed.
“The aid is there; however, it is not being made available. I have seen hundreds of boxes of baby formula and medication sitting in warehouses while people, just a few miles away, are in desperate need. No prosthetics have entered Gaza in the past year, despite thousands of people in need, with supplies ready to go.
“Among the supplies stored in the warehouses was aid funded directly by the UK Government, as well as assistance provided by UK charities through the generous donations of people across Edinburgh and the wider UK.”
Although a ceasefire agreement came into effect in October 2025, humanitarian organisations continue to warn that severe restrictions on aid and medical supplies mean many Palestinians in Gaza remain unable to access the support they urgently need.
Ms Gilbert added: “Eight months on from the Gaza Peace Plan there has been little improvement for people struggling to survive in Gaza. I am calling on the Israeli government to end the delays and allow the vital aid sitting on its borders to flow freely into Gaza.”
The Foreign Secretary’s Statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday 9th June can be found here:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-06-09/debates/17B7E328-FC55-496D-839C-1AD698698BE6/MiddleEast