Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
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 merits of establishing a medical evacuation team for children in Gaza requiring urgent treatment.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Officials from all relevant Whitehall departments are exploring avenues to ensure our support best meets the needs of the critically ill in Gaza, including children, and we continue to support the provision of healthcare in Gaza and the region. The Government is keeping our humanitarian programme and existing policies on medical evacuations and visa pathways under review in response to events in Gaza.
We have announced £1 million for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, delivered through World Health Organisation (WHO) Egypt, to support medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. The UK is also supporting the provision of essential healthcare to civilians in Gaza, including support to UK-MED who have now provided vital care to over 330,000 Gazans since the start of the conflict.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what recent assessment his Department has made of the risk of famine in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The situation in Gaza is desperate. Many Palestinian civilians have been killed and there is an urgent need to get more aid to the people of Gaza to prevent a famine.
The UK is doing all it can to get as much food into Gaza as possible.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many UK nationals unable to leave Gaza his Department has contacted.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The safety and security of all British nationals remains our utmost priority and we are doing everything we can to support all British nationals, including dual nationals in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We are still working to help a number of British Nationals get out of Gaza, but we cannot disclose numbers at this time. We can confirm that more than 270 people registered with us, including British Nationals and their dependants, have left Gaza, with onward support to Cairo. We are working with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to ensure any remaining British nationals that want to leave are cleared and able to cross the Rafah Border.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the statement by the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that there are no safe areas for the civilian population in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are deeply concerned by the high loss of civilian life in Gaza and widespread destruction. To help alleviate the crisis, the Foreign Secretary has announced a further £30 million worth of humanitarian assistance, bringing it to a total of £60 million, and the UK has additionally delivered 74 tonnes of aid to date, but there is still more to do. We have been consistent in supporting a sustainable ceasefire, and will endeavour to continue to get aid into Gaza on a sustained basis now that the truce has ended. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have repeatedly stressed to Israeli leaders that they must abide by International Humanitarian Law and protect all civilians as far as possible, regardless of whether or not they are in safe areas, spaces or zones. The Prime Minister has also pressed Israel to ensure its campaign is targeted against Hamas fighters and military objectives.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to take diplomatic steps to improve the conditions for civilians within the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
Answered by Leo Docherty
All medical facilities in Gaza must be protected and allowed to operate in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We continue to urge all parties to the conflict to abide by International Humanitarian Law, including minimising causalities, protecting civilians and critical civilian infrastructure. We continue to press for increased humanitarian assistance (food, water and medical supplies) as well as fuel to reach Gaza. Fuel is needed to power hospitals and desalinisation plants as well as bakeries, critical to meet civilian needs.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he plans to take diplomatic steps in response to China's treatment of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
The UK Government closely monitors China's serious human rights violations in Xinjiang against Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities, and continues to lead international efforts to hold China to account and change its behaviour.
In October 2023, the UK led a record joint statement on Xinjiang at the UN, demonstrating a significant number of countries are prepared to call China out for its human rights violations. We have also imposed sanctions, provided guidance to businesses, and taken action to tackle forced labour in supply chains.
We consistently raise China's human rights violations with the Chinese authorities at the highest levels. The former Foreign Secretary did so during his visit to Beijing in August 2023. We will continue to raise these issues directly with China and in multilateral fora including the UN.
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen efforts towards a lasting and two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine; and if he will make it his policy to formally recognise the state of Palestine.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK remains committed to making progress towards a two-state solution, resulting in a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian State; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states. The Foreign Secretary met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories this week. He discussed our strong bilateral relationship and the vital importance of de-escalating the rising tension in the West Bank. The Foreign Secretary also reiterated the UK's commitment to a two-state solution. The government will recognise Palestinian statehood at a time that best serves the interests of peace.