Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what implications the statement by Bakr Ahmed Bakr Qanita that Hamas is using the management building, the specialist building and the maternity ward at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza will have for their policies in the region.

Hamas and other terrorist organisations are putting Palestinian civilians at grave risk by embedding themselves in the civilian population and civilian infrastructure. The UK is aware of reports of Hamas and other terrorist organisations using healthcare facilities and other infrastructure, such as schools, as bases and command nodes.

This does not absolve parties from their responsibility to ensure that their actions are compliant with International Humanitarian Law, and minimise harm to civilians. The UK is particularly clear that civilian buildings must not be targeted, and extra care must be taken in relation to hospitals and other medical facilities.