Israel: Palestinians
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support Palestinian children forcibly displaced from Gaza to Egypt.
Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer
We are deeply concerned by the effect of ongoing hostilities on children in Gaza, many of whom have been displaced several times. The UK has provided £3 million in funding to World Health Organization (WHO) Egypt to boost regional healthcare capacity to treat medically evacuated civilians from Gaza who are receiving care in Egypt. Israel must uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure that Palestinians can return to their homes, and to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that proper accommodation and conditions are provided to all those displaced. Permanent forced displacement is a breach of International Humanitarian Law. A cross-government taskforce is working urgently to get some sick and injured children out of Gaza, so that they can receive specialist treatment in NHS hospitals across the UK. The UK continues to be a major donor to United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - our support reached a more than 160,000 people in the last financial year, including almost 80,000 children.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →