Asked by: James Murray (Labour (Co-op) - Ealing North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of Israel’s blockade of Gaza on Gaza’s capacity to respond to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The UK has pledged £744 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19. We?have?delivered?additional vital support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing funding to WHO and UNICEF to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of?medical equipment,?treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.
The UN assesses that although the current number of detected cases remains relatively low, the capacity of the Palestinian health system to cope with an expected increase in COVID-19 cases is poor. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where the health system has shortages in specialised staff, drugs and equipment. We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the UN and the international community to ensure a co-ordinated response.
Asked by: James Murray (Labour (Co-op) - Ealing North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she holds information on the proportion of humanitarian assistance sent to Gaza which is delivered through non-governmental organisations.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
DFID provides support to the health system in Gaza and contributes to the provision of emergency food aid for around 1.2 million vulnerable people.
DFID does not hold information on what proportion of overall humanitarian assistance is delivered through NGOs.