Asked by: Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of whether Hamas has misused humanitarian aid.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We are not aware of reports that aid intended for humanitarian projects, such as rebuilding homes of Gazans, has been misused by Hamas. The UK has recently invested £0.5million in the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), specifically a Materials Monitoring Unit, to ensure that any reconstruction materials made available to Gazans to repair their homes are closely tied to an assessment of needs and subjected to rigorous spot checks. This will safeguard against the risk of building materials being diverted towards building tunnels. The GRM was established in November as a temporary and tripartite arrangement between the UN, Palestinian Authority and Government of Israel. Through the mechanism, 700 Gazans have been able to purchase much needed construction material in order to start the rehabilitation of their homes.