Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Israel in response to the UN independent Commission of Inquiry’s findings that there were reasonable grounds to conclude that 35 children attending protests in Gaza between 30 March and 31 December 2018 were killed unlawfully by Israeli security forces.

​The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israel Defense Forces police protests and the Gaza perimeter, including the use of live ammunition. It is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties. In particular we have stressed the importance of protecting civilians, especially children and medical personnel. The Minister of State raised Gaza with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 30 April, and the UK raised it at the UN Security Council on 29 April. On 18 March, the EU gave an intervention on the UN Human Rights Council Commission of Inquiry, in which we expressed our concern about the high number of Palestinians killed and injured and the use of excessive force including live fire, and condemned violence and provocations against Israel by Hamas and other militant groups.