Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of Hamas’s role in the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza.

As the UK said at the UN Security Council on 22 May, Hamas’s ongoing decision to embrace violence and reject the Quartet Principles lies at the heart of the Gazan tragedy. Hamas’s decision to send rockets towards Israel is unacceptable and must stop. Our policy on Hamas is clear: they must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. Violence further undermines the humanitarian situation in Gaza, creates fear amongst the Israeli and Palestinian populations, and damages the prospects for peace. We urge all parties to demonstrate restraint, and work towards a durable agreement that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict and transforms the situation in Gaza.