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 implication for his policies of a suspension of food assistance to families in Gaza by the World Food Programme; and if he will make a statement.

We continue to monitor the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. The UK is a key donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), providing essential humanitarian support to Palestinian refugees across its five zones of operation. In financial year 2022/2023, the UK provided UNRWA with £18.7 million, including £13 million for UNRWA's Programme Budget for spend in Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), Jordan, Lebanon and Syria; as well as £2 million for an employment programme for Gazan women and £3.7 million for food assistance, both under UNRWA's OPTs Emergency Appeal. The UK is not currently a donor to the World Food Programme in Gaza, but recognises the critical role they play in supporting vulnerable families to have access to sufficient food.