Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 entitled Anatomy of a Genocide, published on 25 March 2024, A/HRC/55/73.

Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas in line with International Humanitarian Law, as we have said from the outset. Our view is that Israel's actions in Gaza cannot be described as a genocide, but we also remain clear that formal determination of genocide should be based upon the final judgment of a competent court.

There must be a reduction in civilian casualties. All parties must act within International Humanitarian Law. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes.