UK announces vital demining funding to clear routes and improve access for aid into Gaza
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-30)

Additional explosive ordnance experts, equipment and education will be delivered to Gaza as the UK unveils further support for UNMAS.

- as part of the UK’s push for unrestricted aid access to Gaza, new funding will help clear the 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions which is currently preventing the safe passage of aid to Palestine
- £4 million for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) will surge in experts to help clear land mines, cluster bombs and munitions help protect Palestinians and aid workers.
- Foreign Secretary to see in action British expertise in demining efforts first hand at HALO headquarters and speak directly to British operators in the Middle East
Additional explosive ordnance experts, equipment and education will be delivered to Gaza as the UK unveils further support for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) under the UK’s work to scale up aid access.

This is the latest in the Foreign Secretary’s diplomatic efforts for the opening of all aid crossings into Gaza, the lifting of restrictions on aid and delivering the conditions needed for the UN and NGOs to operate, including experts and equipment for humanitarian mine action.

The funding will help clear the 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions which is currently preventing the safe passage of aid to Palestine, and provide the protection needed so that Palestinians can begin to go about their normal lives. This is a vital component of the US peace process and will support the transition from the ceasefire to phase II of the peace plan.

Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said:

The situation in Gaza is desperate without the vital humanitarian support they need.

We must do everything we can to flood Gaza with aid. Today I am announcing £4 million for the United Nations Mine Action Service in Gaza, funding that will help clear the explosives and rubble as part of the UK’s effort to ensure aid can be delivered safely.

We will not be able to get relief at the scale so desperately needed in Gaza without clearing munitions and making progress on the pathway for lasting peace.

Chief of Design, Operational Support and Oversight United Nations Mine Action Service, Richard Boulter, said:

UNMAS is pulling out all the stops to surge explosive ordnance response and risk education in Gaza to address the threat of unexploded ordnance that threatens the lives of the Palestinian who are striving to find food and return to their homes.

UNMAS is working closely with UN and its humanitarian partners labouring to deliver critical aid, and to clean up to start rebuilding communities and neighbourhoods.

The generous support from the United Kingdom is an essential boost to this effort.

The Foreign Secretary will witness the work British deminers are delivering in Gaza first hand on a visit to HALO, Wilton where she will meet with representatives from UNMAS, HALO and MAG. The Foreign Secretary will speak directly to British operators who are positioned in the region ready to make Gaza safer.

HALO and MAG, British organisations, deliver 69% of all civilian mine clearance globally and benefit from UNMAS’ vital leadership in the region. This new funding will allow for the coordination of mine action across Gaza on a larger scale.

The Foreign Secretary will continue her drive for aid access, support for the UN and humanitarian NGOs, and action on reconstruction on a visit to the region at the end of the week.

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