Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 16 January 2025 on the Middle East, Official report columns 511-513, what steps his Department is taking to help protect human rights organisations in Palestine, in the context of the killing of Ihab Fisal.

Human Rights are a crucial element underpinning the UK's foreign policy, and civil society organisations play an important role in upholding human rights. Through our aid programmes, we support human rights organisations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on a range of issues. I regularly meet with civil society organisations, including human rights organisations, to discuss the current humanitarian situation in Gaza.

We welcome the agreement to end the fighting in Gaza. It is the first step in ensuring long-term peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region, bringing much-needed stability, but we have always been clear that an immediate ceasefire is just the first step towards a lasting solution to this crisis. Gazan civilians must be protected.