Your Taxes - £600,000 humanitarian aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territories

15th November 2025

UN humanitarian fund receives Scottish Government funding in addition to UK Government contributions. Are Scottish Taxpayers paying twice?

£600,000 humanitarian aid for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

UN humanitarian fund receives Scottish Government funding announced by First Minister John Swinney in September, as part of a package of measures in relation to the crisis in Gaza, the funding will support the delivery of life-saving health services, food and nutrition assistance, emergency shelter, water and sanitation, protection services, education support and cash for families.

The UNOCHA fund helps to coordinate the humanitarian response by international and national organisations to those in the affected areas.

Dr Ramiz Alakbarov, Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory said:

"Scotland's generous support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories Humanitarian Fund is a lifeline for Palestinians facing immense hardship. This solidarity from the Scottish Government and people enables us to deliver critical, life-saving assistance to those who need it most. We are deeply grateful for this meaningful contribution."

External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson said:

"At this crucial time, Scottish Government funding will support the scaling up of the humanitarian response in Gaza. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic and the organisations on the ground will only be able to provide desperately needed assistance if the ceasefire holds and aid is allowed to enter.

"I am also pleased to report that following a request from UNICEF, 10 child patients from Gaza are now receiving treatment from NHS Scotland.

"This is part of our broader humanitarian response to the crisis ensuring vulnerable children receive the specialist medical care that they urgently need."

Your Taxes also contribute via the UK Government as follows -

Key Figures & Commitments

2023/24 Funding

The UK allocated £27 million in bilateral development / ODA (Official Development Assistance) for the OPTs.

In response to escalation of conflict, the UK committed an additional £70 million for humanitarian support.

According to the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI), total UK aid support for 2023/24 topped £100 million.

2024/25 Funding

The UK committed £129 million for that financial year to the OPTs.

Within that, in January 2025 a £17 million package was announced to support food, shelter, water/energy infrastructure, and healthcare.

Part of this goes via the World Bank: £2 million for water and energy infrastructure across the OPTs.

2025 Additional Aid

In July 2025, the UK pledged £60 million more humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Of this, £20 million is earmarked for UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinian refugees) to support essential services.
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Also funds UK-Med field hospitals operating in Gaza.

Also announced: £7 million to support governance and civic capacity in OPTs, including strengthening the Palestinian Authority.

In August 2025, the UK added £8.5 million more via the UN OCHA Humanitarian Fund, specifically for food, water, fuel etc.

Other Aid Streams

The UK makes contributions to the Palestinian Authority: in June 2024, £10 million was announced to help with basic services and public sector salaries.

Some of UK's humanitarian support is channelled through major agencies: UNRWA, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, UNOPS, OCHA, Red Cross / Crescent societies.

The UK also provides logistics support: e.g., supporting a maritime corridor to bring aid into Gaza, including £9.7 million for logistics, equipment, and UK expertise.

Challenges / Limitations

According to ICAI, despite the funding, aid access is severely constrained: delivery into Gaza is limited by strict border controls, inspections, and security risks.

There are also concerns about how much of the aid actually reaches the most vulnerable, given operational and access issues.

Context & Strategic Goals

The UK frames its aid as lifesaving humanitarian support: food, water, healthcare, shelter.

Part of the aid is also directed at longer-term recovery and governance, not just immediate relief.

The UK is pushing diplomatically for greater aid access (e.g., humanitarian pauses, more land / sea routes).

Are Scots Paying More Than English Taxpayers?

Since the majority of UK humanitarian aid is funded through UK-wide (reserved) government spending, any UK taxpayer (whether Scottish, English, Welsh, or Northern Irish) contributes broadly in proportion to their tax liability to the UK Government.

The Scottish Government's extra contributions (the ~£600k + other parts) come from Scottish Government budgets (which are funded by a mix of devolved taxes, block grant, etc.), but in the grand scheme of UK aid (which is many millions), this is quite modest.

Therefore, Scottish taxpayers are not disproportionately bearing the cost of the UK's humanitarian aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories — they do contribute like everyone else in the UK, plus a relatively small additional contribution via their devolved government.