Addressing the UN Security Council on 23 October, the UK’s Chargé d’Affaires James Kariuki said the Gaza ceasefire offers a narrow window to reduce harm, crediting President Trump’s deal for recent hostage releases and improved aid flows. He thanked Qatar, Türkiye and Egypt, and noted French and Saudi engagement on a New York Declaration referenced in the statement.
London urged both parties to uphold the deal. It pressed Hamas to cease violence and resolve the remaining thirteen hostage cases with mediators and the ICRC, and called on Israel to permanently lift restrictions on aid, open all crossings to humanitarian and commercial traffic, and allow international NGOs to operate without obstruction. The statement welcomed the ICJ advisory opinion issued a day earlier.
On 22 October 2025, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that Israel, as the occupying power, must ensure essential supplies for the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and must agree to impartial relief schemes when people are inadequately supplied, as in Gaza. The Court emphasised that UN entities, particularly UNRWA, are essential to the relief effort and should not be impeded.
In its summary of the opinion, the United Nations said the Court reaffirmed obligations to respect and protect relief and medical personnel and facilities, to avoid forcible transfer or deportation, and to prohibit starvation of civilians as a method of warfare. It also recalled detainee rights to ICRC access and the duty to respect UN privileges, immunities and the inviolability of UN premises.
Secretary‑General António Guterres welcomed the opinion and will transmit it to the General Assembly, which requested the advice and may determine further steps. UN officials cast the opinion as a baseline for enabling large‑scale humanitarian operations, including UNRWA’s work in Gaza.
Looking ahead, the UK sought urgent work on transitional security arrangements, including an International Stabilisation Force, and support for Palestinian Authority reform toward a two‑state outcome on 1967 lines with agreed land swaps. It also cited humanitarian assistance, a staff deployment to the US‑led Civil Military Coordination Centre, and work with Egypt on private investment, and condemned recent settler violence in the West Bank while urging a halt to expansion and financial curbs.
For humanitarian agencies and donors, the opinion sets a clear legal baseline: large‑scale aid delivery through UN channels should be enabled, crossings should be kept open to sustain commercial and humanitarian flows, and staff safety and access must be respected. If implemented, those conditions would support the ceasefire’s stated aim of reducing civilian harm.