Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help increase the amount of medical and surgical equipment entering Gaza.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is intolerable and deteriorating. During his recent visit to the region, the Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of the safe distribution of aid, including lifesaving medical supplies to civilians who desperately need them. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the need for greater aid access in his statement to the UN General Assembly on 26 September. It is the assessment of this Government that Israel can and must do more to ensure that aid can flow freely into and within Gaza.