Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the total destruction of higher education institutions in Gaza on the UK’s partnerships with Israeli universities engaged in defence-related research.

The department has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact of damage to higher education (HE) institutions in Gaza on partnerships between UK HE providers and Israeli universities engaged in defence-related research.

The conflict has caused catastrophic damage to Gaza's education system and nearly all university buildings are reported to have been destroyed.

The government does not routinely hold information on all research activities undertaken by individual universities or their international partners. Any publicly funded research must comply with relevant legal, ethical and security requirements.

The government is very aware of the extremely challenging environment for those in Gaza seeking to pursue higher education. That is why during the 2025/26 autumn term, the government supported more than 100 high achieving students with full scholarships from Gaza to travel to the UK to pursue their studies. Building on this, support has been extended into the 2026/27 academic year, enabling a further cohort of talented students with fully funded scholarships to take up their places at UK universities.

The government continues to support humanitarian and recovery efforts for Palestinians. The UK has announced £10 million of support for the UN Horizon Fund to enable a Palestinian-led, UN-coordinated approach to early recovery, including support for education alongside other essential services. The UK is also providing £23.3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to support the delivery of healthcare, education, social services, emergency food and shelter.