Britain working for humanitarian pause in Gaza: Foreign minister

Britain is trying to arrange a temporary cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip so that more humanitarian aid can be delivered to the besieged Palestinians

Britain is trying to arrange a temporary cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip so that more humanitarian aid can be delivered to the besieged Palestinians, its foreign secretary said on Monday (Oct 30).

Aid supplies to Gaza have been choked since Israel began bombarding the densely populated Palestinian enclave in response to a deadly attack by the militant group Hamas on Oct 7.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that humanitarian aid was trickling into Gaza but the volume needed to be increased significantly.

"We're working extensively with the Egyptians, with the Israelis, and others to try and have a humanitarian pause, temporary pause so that we can get that humanitarian aid to the people that need it," Cleverly told Reuters at the British Ambassador's residence in Abu Dhabi.

However, he stopped short of calling for a full ceasefire in the conflict.