Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the capability of the UN World Food Programme to deliver food aid to Gaza.

The situation for humanitarian actors in Gaza is untenable. The United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) remains the backbone of the humanitarian response, which is why the Government announced an additional £7 million of UK assistance to UNRWA's Flash Humanitarian Appeal for Gaza on 2 December. It is hugely concerning that UNRWA has been forced to pause aid deliveries through its main crossing point at Kerem Shalom because of safety concerns. The World Food Programme, for which we also announced £6m of UK assistance on 2 December, reports that barely any food has entered northern Gaza for over 50 days. This is unacceptable. We continue to press Israel to end its aid restrictions and ensure the UN and humanitarian partners can work safely and effectively. This was reiterated in the Foreign Secretary's recent joint letter, with French and German counterparts, to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar. I raised these issue's with Deputy Foreign Minister Haskel on 05 December and met with Mr Philippe Lazzarini, the UN's Commissioner-General of UNWRA in Doha on 08 December.