Gaza: Humanitarian Situation

Brian Leishman Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Doughty]

I thank the hon. Lady for her comments and for her support for what I said about Yemen. She was absolutely right to focus on dual-use items. I was staggered that even wheelchairs, medical scanners that should be in hospitals treating people who desperately need help, and even footballs for children, so that they should be able to enjoy some basic activity and sports, were being denied. It is just unfathomable why those things are being denied entry, let alone what I have said today about tents, timber and other crucial equipment to respond to what we saw at the weekend.

That has to change and it has to change urgently. I can assure her that we are using every lever at our disposal and every contact. Officials have been engaging this week—we have asked to meet the Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories—and we will continue to raise this at every single level.

The hon. Lady will have heard what I said about the new global human rights and international humanitarian law regime. It has just come into place. I will not comment on future designations, but obviously we take powers because we intend to use them.

[Brian Leishman (Alloa and Grangemouth) (Lab)]

Bullets, bombs, drones and starvation—the methods by which Netanyahu and his apartheid regime kills Palestinian children, women and men are varied. When I look through history, I have to say that I have no faith that a different Israeli Prime Minister and a different Israeli Government would actually treat Palestinians like human beings.

I welcome much of the Minister’s statement, but yet again we have another statement in this place full of sorrow and condemnation—nothing really changes. The time to do something meaningful that will actually stop the genocide and the killing of Palestinians is long overdue. My question is very simple: when will the Government stop all arms sales to Israel?

[Stephen Doughty]

It is a statement full of genuine sorrow and a sense of being appalled at what is happening in Gaza. I say it with sincerity and the Government say it with sincerity. I take issue with my hon. Friend’s suggestion that nothing changes. He has seen in recent weeks that a number of things have changed. We announced our intention to ban the trade. We announced our intention to deal with those expanding illegal settlements. We announced, just today, additional funding to respond to the appalling events at the weekend. I am proud of what this Government are doing to respond, but we need to do more and we need to galvanise others to do more. That is exactly what we are doing in New York today. He knows the steps we have taken already on the suspension and the refusal of arms sales; we have set those out in detail. He also knows of the new double lock in relation to arms sales that the Foreign Secretary announced in relation to the unlawfulness of the occupation.