Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the lives lost in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since October 2023, over 47,000 have been killed in Gaza and more than 90% of the population has been displaced, many people repeatedly so. Like many of our partners, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office uses United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) figures to report on daily casualties in the current Gaza conflict. OCHA draws on figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH), which collates information on casualty statistics using a health information system derived from eight major hospitals across Gaza.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made representations to his US counterpart on the revocation of sanctions against Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of that decision on UK sanctions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Prime Minister said in the House on 22nd January, we are deeply concerned by what is happening in the West Bank. The Government continues to engage with the US at all levels on all our priorities, including security and stability in the Middle East. Sanctions are part of wider UK efforts to support a more stable West Bank and help bring accountability to those who have supported and perpetrated heinous abuses of human rights in the West Bank. Sanctions remain part of our broader political strategy and are designed to effect change, to pressurise, and send a clear signal regarding behaviours.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 16 January 2025 on the Middle East, Official report columns 511-513, what steps his Department is taking to help protect human rights organisations in Palestine, in the context of the killing of Ihab Fisal.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Human Rights are a crucial element underpinning the UK's foreign policy, and civil society organisations play an important role in upholding human rights. Through our aid programmes, we support human rights organisations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a range of issues. I regularly meet with civil society organisations, including human rights organisations, to discuss the current humanitarian situation in Gaza.
We welcome the agreement to end the fighting in Gaza. It is the first step in ensuring long-term peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region, bringing much-needed stability, but we have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. Gazan civilians must be protected.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) secure a permanent ceasefire agreement and (b) implement the measures needed for post-war reconstruction in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 16 January, in the first six-week phase we expect both parties to stop fighting, and Israel to start to redeploy to the edge of the Strip. The UK will continue to work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the US and regional partners to build consensus for a post-conflict Gaza governance and security framework that supports conditions for a permanent and sustainable peace. We have provided a £2 million uplift in 2024/25, through a contribution to the World Bank, to increase the sustainable supply of water and energy in the OPTs, including in Gaza.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement on the (a) presence and (b) activities of the Israeli Defense Forces in (i) Gaza, (ii) the Golan Heights and (iii) the West Bank.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The announcement of a ceasefire agreement is a moment of hope after over a year of agony. We have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. As the Foreign Secretary said to the House on 16 January, in the first six-week phase we expect both parties to stop fighting, and Israel to start to redeploy to the edge of the Gaza Strip. The UK will continue to work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the US and regional partners to build consensus for a post-conflict Gaza governance and security framework that supports conditions for a permanent and sustainable peace. This government is clear that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) must be upheld, and civilians protected. The Foreign Secretary continues to raise issues of International Humanitarian Law compliance with the Israeli government. We are also clear that we must not lose sight of the serious risk of further instability in the West Bank, which is in no-one's interest. Stability in the West Bank is crucial to ensure that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza can last. All sides should work to ensure a lowering of tension in the West Bank at this time. Israel has said its presence in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights will be limited and temporary, and we have been clear that we expect it to adhere to this commitment. It is longstanding UK policy that the Golan Heights are occupied territory and we do not recognise Israel's annexation of them. Israel's presence in the buffer zone must not become permanent.
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, if his Department will take steps to help ensure that a substantial increase in humanitarian aid flows into Gaza is included as a condition within a permanent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have always been clear that a ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. We must build confidence on all sides that helps sustain a ceasefire and move it into a lasting peace. Crucially, we need to see an immediate surge of aid into Gaza, and we will work with Israel, the UN and all partners to facilitate that. As part of this, we need safe and effective aid distribution, and the protection of the civilian population including ensuring immediate access to healthcare, shelter and food. The UK continues to do all we can to alleviate this suffering. We have provided £112 million this financial year, including £41 million for UNRWA, which is supporting the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Palestinian refugees in the region.