UK backs Gaza ceasefire, cites ICJ opinion at UN

In New York on 23 October 2025, the UK’s Ambassador to the UN, James Kariuki, told the Security Council that after two years since the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023, there is a rare opening created by President Trump’s Gaza ceasefire deal. The UK government published the statement the same day, presenting this as a chance to reduce harm, reunite families and move back to a political track.

You’ve seen the images by now: families in Israel reuniting with loved ones as the last 20 living hostages were released under the agreement. Yet closure is not complete. The UK urged Hamas to end violence and to work with mediators and the International Committee of the Red Cross to locate and hand over the final thirteen hostages’ remains.

The UK’s message to Israel was equally direct: make lifted restrictions on aid permanent, open all crossings for both humanitarian and commercial goods, and allow international NGOs to operate without obstruction. London repeated its position that all sides must follow international law.

If you’re new to the ICJ: an advisory opinion is the UN’s top court answering a legal question from the General Assembly. It isn’t enforceable like a domestic court order, but it carries authority and influences how states behave. On 22 October, the Court said Israel must ensure essential supplies reach Gaza and cooperate with UN agencies, naming UNRWA’s role in the response. The UK welcomed the clarity and said it would study the full text.

UNRWA is the UN’s relief and works agency for Palestine refugees. It runs schools, clinics and emergency aid across Gaza, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, funded mostly by voluntary donations. In Gaza, its network often forms the backbone of the aid operation-one reason the ICJ highlighted its role in the opinion referenced above.

The UK thanked President Trump and the mediators-Qatar, Türkiye and Egypt-for brokering the breakthrough, and acknowledged wider diplomacy led by France and Saudi Arabia. The “New York Declaration,” backed by an overwhelming General Assembly majority in September, set out a ceasefire, the release of hostages and concrete steps towards two states.

Security arrangements are now the test. London said work should begin on transitional measures, including an International Stabilisation Force-envisaged as a temporary, UN‑authorised multinational presence to help keep people safe while governance is rebuilt. The United States has already opened a Civil‑Military Coordination Centre to knit together assistance, and the UK says it has deployed staff there. The push sits alongside support for a reform programme for the Palestinian Authority.

You’ll hear the phrase “1967 lines with land swaps.” In plain English, that means borders based on the lines that existed before the 1967 war, adjusted by mutual agreement. Many peace frameworks use this baseline so that a future Palestinian state would comprise Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, alongside Israel, with swaps to reflect realities on the ground.

While most eyes are on Gaza, the UK also flagged the West Bank. It condemned attacks by extremist settlers on Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest, urged Israel to stop settlement expansion and asked it to lift financial measures that risk deeper economic crisis. These are the pressures that can unravel fragile progress.

For learners tracking accountability: watch three things. First, whether aid actually moves at scale with UN access. Second, whether the remaining families receive the identified remains of their loved ones. Third, whether a credible plan for security and day‑to‑day governance-supported by neighbours and the UN-takes shape without a slide back to fighting.

Quick term check, because language matters when you read official statements. The ICRC is a neutral body that oversees exchanges and the dignified return of remains in war; “commercial crossings” means the gates that let goods move in and out for normal life; and “NGOs” are independent organisations that deliver services like health care and shelter.

The UK’s closing note was about responsibility. Seizing this moment will take discipline from leaders and steady international support. If the ceasefire holds and the legal obligations spelled out by the ICJ are respected, classrooms from Rafah to Ramallah can start to plan for normal lessons again-and we’ll keep explaining each step as it happens.