Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what barriers exist to the unfettered flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and what steps they are taking to remove those barriers.

We have set out five steps that Israel needs to take, including:

• an immediate humanitarian pause to get aid in and hostages out;
• increased capacity for aid distribution inside Gaza;
• increased access for aid through land routes and a fully open Ashdod Port for aid delivery;
• an expansion of the types of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza;
• and the provision of electricity, water and telecommunications.

The Foreign Secretary has appointed a Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mark Bryson-Richardson. He is based in the region and is working intensively to address the blockages preventing more aid reaching Gaza.