Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the UK abstained in the UN General Assembly vote on resolution A/RES/ES-10/22 on a ceasefire in Gaza.

We are gravely concerned about the desperate situation in Gaza. The scale of civilian deaths and displacement in Gaza cannot continue. We have been consistent in supporting a sustainable ceasefire, but we abstained as the resolution as it did not condemn the atrocities Hamas committed against Israeli civilians on 7 October. Israel has a right to self-defence and must address the threat posed by Hamas while upholding International Humanitarian Law. We continue to press both at the UN and directly with Israel for unhindered humanitarian access and substantive, repeated humanitarian pauses to allow for this to happen.