From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 8, 2026
Israel says UK rallying countries to join statement about loosening Gaza restrictions ahead of winter
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleLazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Israel’s mission to the United Nations says that the UK’s Labour government is rallying support among some 50 countries for a joint statement calling on Israel to ease restrictions on supplies going into Gaza ahead of the winter.
The effort, according to Israel, expands on September’s “Gaza: A Call to Action on Humanitarian Access and Health,” which was endorsed by Australia, Denmark, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UK.
That statement called on Israel to allow the unimpeded flow of humanitarian goods into Gaza, including the approval of more dual use items, ensure the protection of health and humanitarian workers, and allow diplomats and journalists into Gaza.
The British government has not confirmed that it is leading such an initiative.
“The Labour government seems to have forgotten that Hamas even exists,” says Israel’s UN envoy Danny Danon. “Time and again, the international community points the finger at Israel while ignoring the terrorist organization’s responsibility for the situation in Gaza.”
He calls on London to instead demand the disarming of Hamas.
The Times of Israel Community.