Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Israeli counterpart on protecting children in Gaza.

We are aware of Save the Children's report into the wellbeing of Gazan children. In 2021, the UK contributed £2 million to UNICEF, which provided child-sensitive grants to vulnerable households in Gaza reaching 4,311 boys and girls. This support met the essential needs of vulnerable children, with the majority of it being spent on food, education, and healthcare. The UK also contributes annually to UNRWA, supporting their Mental Health and Psychosocial Support interventions, especially for children, which included summer school activities targeting 98,595 children in Gaza in 2021.

I recently visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) where I saw first-hand the challenges of the prolonged conflict and the impact of the occupation. I reiterated UK support for a two-state solution and the need to improve conditions for ordinary Palestinians in my meetings with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Roll, and with the Palestinian leadership, including Prime Minister Shtayyeh.