Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December to Question 3979 on Israel: Disclosure of Information, whether information not related to hostage rescue will be passed to authorities not involved with hostage rescue.
Answered by James Heappey
As a matter of long-standing policy, the Government does not comment on the specific detail of intelligence matters.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what (a) diplomatic, (b) operational and (c) other steps his Department is taking to help secure the release of British citizens being held hostage in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our full sympathies are with families affected by the horrific terrorist attacks committed by Hamas. Since the attacks on 7 October, we have worked tirelessly to support the British people affected. Intensive diplomatic efforts are ongoing with the Qataris, Israelis and others to secure the release of all hostages. We will keep working until all the hostages are freed and returned to their families. We are not commenting on individual cases. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have met with the family members of hostages to directly hear their concerns both in Israel and in the UK and will continue to do so.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) British, (b) British born and (c) British dual nationals who were kidnapped in Israel on 7 October 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have been working with partners across the region to secure the release of all hostages, including British nationals. We are providing consular assistance to the families of British national hostages. Due to the sensitive nature of these cases, we do not provide further details.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what actions he is taking to provide support to British nationals with family members held hostage in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our full sympathies are with families affected by the horrific terrorist attacks committed by Hamas. Since the attacks on 7 October, we have worked tirelessly to support the British people affected. Intensive diplomatic efforts are ongoing with the Qataris, Israelis and others to secure the release of all hostages.
The Foreign Secretary met British nationals with family members held hostage, and other families with British links, on Monday 4 December. He also met with family members on his visit to Israel. The Foreign Secretary and other Ministers will continue to meet with and support family members.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his Israeli counterpart on CCTV footage of hostages held by Hamas in Shifa Hospital.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We cannot provide a running commentary on intelligence concerning hostage negotiations as they are highly sensitive and ongoing, but we continue to engage closely with international partners to secure the release of hostages, including the US, Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and others. The Foreign Secretary visited Israel on 23 November and met Prime Minister Netanyahu, his counterpart Foreign Minister Cohen and other key interlocutors to discuss the Israel/Gaza conflict and our shared goal of releasing all hostages.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help support relatives of UK citizens to leave Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
he safety of all British nationals and their immediate family members (spouse/partner and children under 18, if the British national is a child under 18 then their parents and siblings under 18) continues to be our utmost priority. We are doing everything we can to support them in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We are working closely with Israeli counterparts and international partners, as well as signposting British nationals and their dependents to our travel advice, online pages for advice: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/support-for-british-nationals-abroad and www.gov.uk/apply-to-come-to-the-uk. Over 200 British nationals and their dependents have crossed into Egypt, with onward support to Cairo, and we are continuing to offer support to those that are yet to cross. The Prime Minister has also met, in the UK and Israel, several families of those believed to have been taken hostage.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the safe evacuation of British nationals who are facing challenges trying to leave Gaza.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Prime Minister and former Foreign Secretary have said, the safety of British nationals remains our top priority. We are working with the Egyptian and Israeli authorities round the clock to ensure our British nationals can leave Gaza as soon as possible. The UK is supportive of limited and temporary cessations of hostilities as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is crucial that we capitalise on the hostage deal to allow as much food, water, medical supplies and fuel as possible to reach vulnerable civilians in Gaza. This pause should act as a confidence-building mechanism for future pauses, including those solely on humanitarian grounds. The UK has a team at the Rafah crossing to ensure we can provide the necessary consular and administrative support needed to British nationals when they cross. We are providing support for British nationals to get from Rafah to Cairo, where we have set up a reception centre and have arranged temporary accommodation. Additional Consular and Border Force staff are in country to support this work, as is an FCDO Rapid Deployment Team and a team of British Red Cross psychological support experts. More than 150 British nationals and their dependants have left Gaza so far, this is well over half of those who registered with the FCDO initially.
Asked by: Lisa Nandy (Labour - Wigan)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to support medical charities operating in Gaza.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The FCDO is actively engaging with international partners and those operating on the ground to do all we can to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Hospitals in the Occupied Palestinian Territories must be allowed to operate safely and treat the vulnerable, in accordance with International Humanitarian Law. We are deeply concerned about the fuel shortages in Gaza. Fuel is necessary to allow humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance, power hospitals and operate desalinisation plants.
The UK is supportive of limited and temporary cessations of hostilities as part of measures to facilitate the flow of life-saving humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is crucial that we capitalise on the hostage deal to allow as much food, water, medical supplies and fuel as possible to reach vulnerable civilians in Gaza. This pause should act as a confidence-building mechanism for future pauses, including those solely on humanitarian grounds.
Since 7 October, the UK Government has provided an additional £30 million in humanitarian funding and has sent more than 51 tonnes of emergency relief for civilians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This funding will support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other trusted partners to respond to critical food, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will continue to engage closely with regional counterparts including Israel and Egypt to allow sufficient medical supplies to flow into and through Gaza.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of British nationals held hostage by Hamas in Gaza as of 14 November 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's thoughts are with those families who are facing unimaginable uncertainty and fear because of these despicable attacks and kidnappings. We are not commenting on specific numbers or individual cases. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we continue to do everything we can to secure the release of all hostages, including working with Israeli counterparts and international partners at the highest levels.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to provide consular support to the families of British nationals held hostage in Gaza.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government's thoughts are with those families who are facing unimaginable uncertainty and fear because of these despicable attacks and kidnappings. We are not commenting on specific numbers or individual cases. The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we continue to do everything we can to secure the release of all hostages, including working with Israeli counterparts and international partners at the highest levels.