In July 2018 the UK committed to provide up to £38 million over five years (2018-2023) to support economic development in Gaza and the West Bank. Through this programme we will increase trade and job creation across Gaza and the West Bank by helping to enable greater movement and access for people and goods. We will also provide support to facilitate the construction of the Gaza Central Desalination Plant, which will increase access to clean piped water and help replenish the Gaza aquifer, and in turn help Gazans access clean water. In addition, this UK aid programme will help to install solar panels for hospitals, businesses and households, increasing the availability of electricity in Gaza.

Since July 2018, we have been undertaking routine design and early-implementation stage activities, such as assessing implementing partners to ensure they meet DFID’s delivery standards, clarifying and agreeing roles and responsibilities, and setting out expected outcomes, results and timelines.

​Increased water and electricity supplies are a prerequisite to improving life in Gaza. We welcome reports that the Gaza power plant is back online meaning the average electricity supply has now increased to around 5 hours per day. However this still leaves Gazans with at least 19 hours a day without electricity. Ultimately the best solution is a political agreement between all parties on sustainable solutions to increase the electricity supply to Gaza. We press for immediate discussions to alleviate the situation.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), lifesaving services are being run on generators in Gaza as a result of electricity shortages, with many vital health, water and sanitation facilities being provided with emergency UN fuel to continue operating. The UK is supporting approximately 1 million Gazans by addressing critical water, sanitation and hygiene needs through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and is a long-term supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza, including basic health care. The UK will continue to urge all the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution for Gaza and to take the necessary practical steps to improve condition, including restoring the availability of electricity as a matter of urgency.

We are aware that Israel reduced the power supply to Gaza in June this year following a request from the Palestinian Authority (PA), in the course of a dispute with Hamas. I visited Gaza on 21 August and saw the extent of the electricity crisis first hand. Our Consul-General to Jerusalem raised the humanitarian situation in Gaza with both President Abbas and Prime Minister Hamdallah recently. We welcome the agreement on 2 October setting out plans for the resumption of PA administrative control in Gaza. We have encouraged the Palestinian authorities to ensure that plans are in place for this transition, to meet the needs of the Gazan people and to ease their suffering.

We remain concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza and continue to monitor it closely, including the effect electricity shortages are having on the health sector. We urge all the parties to find a sustainable solution. The UK is a long-term supporter of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza including basic health care.

We remain concerned about the situation in Gaza and continue to monitor it closely. The UK’s Ambassador in Tel Aviv and our Consul-General in Jerusalem have raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian Authority (PA) respectively. We have encouraged the PA to ensure their policy in Gaza does not unnecessarily impact the civilian population. We urge all the parties to find a sustainable solution. The UK is a long-term supporter of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) which provides basic services to 1.3 million people in Gaza including basic health care, and we are supporting humanitarian access, enabling reconstruction efforts and investing in job creation.

According to the Food Security Sector (FSS) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), direct damages to agricultural produce as a result of electricity shortages are estimated at approximately 78,000 tons of vegetables, equivalent to 78 million New Israeli Shekels (£16.25 million) of lost revenues to agricultural workers. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has indicated that electricity shortages are creating increasingly unsustainable conditions for most of the agricultural production sector with significant loss of revenues for agricultural workers.

Through the Palestinian Market Development Programme (PMDP) DFID has supported 264 businesses in Gaza to recover from the 2014 Gaza war. As a result of electricity shortages some PMDP beneficiaries have had to cease operations and others have responded by taking actions such as adjusting working hours, operating below capacity and using more expensive sources of electricity such as generators. We urge all the parties to find a sustainable solution to increase electricity supply.