UK's Grant Shapps to discuss more aid for Gaza in Middle East visit

Defence Minister will also hold talks on efforts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East

UK Defence Minister Grant Shapps. Reuters

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

British Defence Minister Grant Shapps is visiting the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel this week, where he plans to discuss accelerating "the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance into Gaza”.

During the visit, Mr Shapps will meet the Palestinian Authority's Interior Minister, Gen Ziad Hab Al Reeh, and Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Mr Shapps will also discuss how the UK can support the Palestinian Authority and efforts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, the UK Ministry of Defence said.

Mr Shapps will talk about efforts to recover hostages – including a number of Britons – who were taken by Hamas during the October 7 raid on Israel.

“My visit this week is an important opportunity to discuss efforts to accelerate the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance into Gaza and efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages,” he said.

“We are working to find the best way to get aid and support to those in desperate need in the quickest and most direct route. That includes options by land, sea and air.

Israel Gaza war two months on - in pictures

Lightning strikes as smoke billows following an Israeli bombardment of Gaza city. AFP

A funeral of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Palestinian families fleeing Gaza city and other parts of northern Gaza head south. AFP

Tal Almog-Goldstein, a hostage released by Hamas, is driven to an army base in Ofakim, southern Israel. AFP

A wounded Palestinian woman is surrounded by her children at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after Israeli air strikes hit their home. AFP

People flee following Israeli air strikes on a neighbourhood in the Al Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza raise their arms as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies at a Senate review of national security requests in Washington. EPA

A woman cradles the body of her sister, killed in an Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

A bloody handprint inside a house at Nir Oz kibbutz, one of the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip attacked on October 7 by Hamas. AFP

A Palestinian woman in shock after air strikes hit buildings near her home in Rafah. AFP

Palestinians fleeing the north trudge along the Salaheddine road in the southern outskirts of Gaza city, with Israeli tanks in the background. AFP

A girl wonders what it is all about after a bombardment in Rafah. AFP

Kibbutz Nir Oz resident Hadas Kalderon, whose children were taken hostage, breaks down. Her mother and niece were killed. Getty Images

Many displaced Palestinians are now taking shelter in tented camps at UN-run centres. Reuters

Destruction as far as the eye can see in Gaza city. EPA

A boy helps wheel his injured mother into Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. AFP

A Palestinian child is treated at Al Aqsa Hospital in Deir al Balah. AP

A man mourns as bodies are returned to relatives for burial. Reuters

Members of the Jewish community and supporters of Israel attend a rally in New York calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas. AFP

Palestinians collect water, of which there is an acute shortage in the Gaza Strip, from a desalination plant. Reuters

A doctor assesses the situation at Al Ahli Arab Hospital after yet another air strike in Gaza city. EPA

“We have deployed an extra 1,000 military personnel in the Middle East and our forces are there to support the humanitarian aid effort and help in stabilising the area.

“The events of October 7 horrified the world and I personally want to offer my support and condolences to Israel and its people.

“We fully support Israel’s right to defend itself, but it is important their fight against Hamas terrorists remains within international law.”

Mr Shapps will discuss the “urgent need for measures to improve security for Palestinians in the West Bank” with Gen Al Reeh, and “the current security situation and Israel’s next steps” with Mr Gallant, the ministry said.

He will visit Kfar Aza, a kibbutz in southern Israel where “Hamas fighters killed Israeli families in their homes” on October 7, the ministry said.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu in a call on Tuesday that more humanitarian aid is required in the Gaza Strip, as concerns grow about civilian deaths in the Israeli bombardment.