Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that Britain may soon take part in airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza, amid growing calls for the UK government to formally recognise a Palestinian state.
Speaking as international concern over Gaza’s humanitarian crisis intensifies, the Prime Minister revealed the UK is “urgently accelerating efforts” to provide relief, including the evacuation of critically ill children for treatment in Britain.
“News that Israel will allow countries to airdrop aid into Gaza has come far too late – but we will do everything we can to get aid in via this route,” Starmer told The Mirror.
UK Moves Towards Airdrop Assistance
Israel recently announced it would permit foreign nations to deliver humanitarian aid by air—an about-turn prompted by global pressure. In response, Starmer said the UK was ready to play a part in the effort.
On Friday evening, he vowed that his government would “pull every lever” to deliver life-saving support to civilians in Gaza. “This humanitarian catastrophe must end,” he declared on X, formerly Twitter.
The appalling scenes in Gaza are unrelenting.
The UK will pull every lever we have to get food and lifesaving support to Palestinians, and we will evacuate children who need urgent medical assistance.
This humanitarian catastrophe must end. pic.twitter.com/eNg7E5ABme
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 25, 2025
Although airdrops are considered logistically challenging and often inefficient, Britain has prior experience in using this method.
In early 2024, under the Conservative-led government, a joint operation with Jordan successfully dropped tonnes of food, fuel, and medical supplies into northern Gaza. The Royal Air Force later took over, conducting 11 missions and delivering over 100 tonnes of aid.
Pressure Builds Over Palestinian State Recognition
Alongside aid efforts, Starmer is under mounting political pressure at home. A cross-party coalition of 220 MPs—more than half of whom are Labour—have signed a letter urging the government to recognise Palestinian statehood.
They argue that such a declaration would mark a “powerful” and necessary step toward a two-state solution.
France added to the momentum by pledging to recognise a Palestinian state within months. However, US President Donald Trump appeared to dismiss the announcement, saying Macron’s plan “doesn’t matter” before departing for a visit to Scotland.
Starmer, speaking after an emergency call with French President Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reiterated that recognition must form part of a broader peace strategy. Recognition, he said, should be part of a “wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution.”
Despite moves to increase air-delivered aid, humanitarian organisations remain wary. Several aid agencies have warned that airdrops, while symbolic, are not an effective way to provide large-scale relief. The UN has gone so far as to call the operation a “distraction to inaction” on the part of Israel.
According to the World Food Programme, food insecurity in Gaza has reached critical levels. “Malnutrition is surging with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment,” the agency warned. The UN has also said nearly one in three Gazans are now going days without eating.
Israeli authorities, however, continue to deny there is a blockade in place and maintain that Hamas is responsible for the food shortages and health crisis within the territory.
Children Evacuated for Life-Saving Care
Efforts to assist Gaza’s most vulnerable have already begun. Two children with serious medical conditions were recently evacuated to the UK from Egypt, supported by the humanitarian group Project Pure Hope. Both girls, who arrived in May, were granted temporary visas and are now receiving private medical treatment.
This action, although limited in scale, underscores the UK’s broader commitment to playing an active humanitarian role as the conflict continues.
As global voices grow louder in demanding both humanitarian access and political recognition, the UK appears to be shifting from cautious diplomacy to more assertive involvement.
