Oral Answers to Questions

Bambos Charalambous Excerpts

Tuesday 30th July 2024 Commons Chamber

[Laura Kyrke-Smith (Aylesbury) (Lab)]

10. What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

[Bambos Charalambous (Southgate and Wood Green) (Lab)]

15. What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

[Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) (Lab)]

22. What steps he is taking to help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

--- Later in debate ---

[Bambos Charalambous]

Despite the designation of Al-Mawasi as a humanitarian safe zone, there have been multiple Israeli air strikes which have killed dozens of civilians and wounded many more, and have resulted in the bombing of a compound belonging to the charities Medical Aid for Palestinians and the International Rescue Committee. What discussions has the Minister had with her Israeli counterpart about stopping any further attacks on Al-Mawasi, where displaced Gazans were ordered to go by the Israel Defence Forces for their own safety?

[Anneliese Dodds]

I know that this issue is of personal concern to my hon. Friend and that he has visited the region many times, for instance when he was the shadow Minister for the middle east. He has asked specifically about the question of civilians in the conflict. We are aware that about 90% of the population in Gaza have now been displaced, some of them more than once. We need civilians to be protected, we need aid workers to be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law, and we need to ensure that there is deconfliction. As I said earlier, those are matters on which we, as the new Government, have been pressing.