Gaza: Healthcare System Support

Lord Oates Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Oates (LD)]

My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register.

We awoke with news that gave hope that, 15 months after the monstrous Hamas attacks of 7 October, a ceasefire would bring the Israeli hostages home and end the devastating slaughter of innocent Palestinian civilians. This afternoon, we hear reports that Israel continues with airstrikes on Gaza and is backing away from the agreement, reportedly due to the intransigence of extremist Israeli Ministers, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. During this time, Palestinian health services have been attacked and largely destroyed and health service workers indiscriminately killed or seized by the IDF.

In light of these attacks, will the Minister restate that obligations under international humanitarian law to protect hospitals and health workers are unconditional? Will she tell the House what representations the Government have made to Israel regarding the recent IDF attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the treatment of healthcare workers who are being detained by Israel?

The destruction of medical facilities is putting at further risk the lives of tens of thousands of children facing acute malnutrition in Gaza and who are unable to get access to medical care. I hope the Minister will once again urge all parties to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid, both into and within Gaza. We must all hope that an enduring ceasefire will be established in the coming hours and that the unconscionable disregard of both Hamas and Israel for innocent Palestinian lives will come to an end.

Israel is not only losing many of its friends over the devastation it has wreaked in Gaza; far worse, it is in danger of losing its soul.

International Aid Workers: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Lord Oates Excerpts

Tuesday 26th November 2024 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Oates]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the impact of visa restrictions on international aid workers to that country and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

My Lords, we are concerned by reports of humanitarian agencies being unable to do their jobs because of visa restrictions. As the Prime Minister has said, there can be no more excuses from the Israeli Government on humanitarian assistance. He and the Foreign Secretary have repeatedly pressed Israeli leaders to deliver on their promise to flood Gaza with aid, so we call on Israel to co-operate fully with the UN and other humanitarian agencies to facilitate visas and make provisions for humanitarians to carry out their work safely and effectively. Restricting their work is not acceptable.

[Lord Oates (LD)]

I thank the Minister for her Answer. Does she agree that, as the occupying power, Israel has a duty under international law to ensure adequate provision of food and medical supplies to the people of Gaza? Does she also agree that both the current and the former Governments have repeatedly urged Israel to comply with those obligations, yet obstruction to humanitarian assistance continues? Is it not time for the Government to make it clear that, unless this changes, sanctions will be applied to the responsible Israeli Ministers?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

My Lords, as I have already said, we have concerns. Our priorities for humanitarian action in Gaza are to protect the civilian population with an immediate effort to prepare them for winter, to ensure effective and safe aid distribution in Gaza, to increase the volume and types of goods reaching Gaza and to enable fully the UN and its agencies, including UNRWA.