Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help (a) identify and (b) support older people in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I have on 23rd June to question 57551.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to her predecessor's correspondence to the Chair of the International Development Committee of 1 September 2025, when her Department (a) first and (b) most recently made an assessment of the risk of genocide by Israel in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 24 September to Question 69737.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on (a) disabled and (b) older people in Gaza of (i) delays in, (ii) obstructions of and (iii) the suspension of the delivery of humanitarian aid; and what contingency plans her Department has to respond to such scenarios.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Marginalised groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly are disproportionately impacted by long standing conflicts including the war in Gaza, and by humanitarian provision which only allows those able to carry aid over long distances to secure food. We continue to work, alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, to enable the UN and non-governmental organisations to ensure aid reaches all those in Gaza, and we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to allow the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of older people, and others.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on the provision of (a) unimpeded and (b) sustained access for humanitarian agencies delivering aid to (i) older people and (ii) others at heightened risk in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Marginalised groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly are disproportionately impacted by long standing conflicts including the war in Gaza, and by humanitarian provision which only allows those able to carry aid over long distances to secure food. We continue to work, alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, to enable the UN and non-governmental organisations to ensure aid reaches all those in Gaza, and we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to allow the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of older people, and others.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with international humanitarian organisations on the delivery of humanitarian aid to (a) older women with caring responsibilities and (b) older people generally in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Marginalised groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly are disproportionately impacted by long standing conflicts including the war in Gaza, and by humanitarian provision which only allows those able to carry aid over long distances to secure food. We continue to work, alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, to enable the UN and non-governmental organisations to ensure aid reaches all those in Gaza, and we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to allow the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of older people, and others.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on the potential impact of the conflict in Gaza on older people's (a) mobility, (b) access to healthcare and (c) access to age-appropriate humanitarian assistance.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Marginalised groups such as people with disabilities and the elderly are disproportionately impacted by long standing conflicts including the war in Gaza, and by humanitarian provision which only allows those able to carry aid over long distances to secure food. We continue to work, alongside regional partners, including Egypt and Jordan, to enable the UN and non-governmental organisations to ensure aid reaches all those in Gaza, and we continue to urge the Israeli authorities to allow the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of older people, and others.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 56288 on Arms Trade: Israel, if he will now publish the Research Report: Long-Range Shootings or Shootings of Minors that was included in evidence in Al-Haq v Secretary of State for Business and Trade.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In line with the long-standing practice under successive governments, we do not routinely publish the detailed analysis on which assessments of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliance are based.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the blockages are that are preventing the safe (a) delivery and (b) distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Israeli restrictions on aid have created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza with civilians in desperate need of a variety of aid. We called on Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza in our statement to the UN Security Council on 16 July. The announcement of "tactical pauses" by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to allow humanitarian corridors to open is essential but long overdue and currently insufficient to address need. We continue to call on Israel to allow for a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid into Gaza, including allowing the entry of more types of aid such as medicine, fuel and shelter. We set this out clearly along with 30 other partners in a UK-led joint statement on 21 July. The government of Israel must facilitate the issue and renewal of visas for humanitarians providing vital services on the ground. The Foreign Secretary spoke to Israeli Foreign Minister Sa'ar on 22 July to reiterate the importance of facilitating the safe delivery of aid at scale, condemning civilian deaths at aid sites.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of Israeli funding of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is appalled by reports of mass casualty incidents, in which civilians and aid workers have been killed, at and near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites. The funding streams of the GHF have not been shared with the UK. The UK has been clear that we will not support any aid mechanism that prioritises political or military objectives or puts civilians at risk. On 4 June, we were firm at the UN Security Council that the new aid model is inhumane and Israel needs to end its restrictions on aid now. We support the UN and endorse its plan for delivery of aid put forward on 16 May - it is based on humanitarian principles, has built in mitigations against aid diversion and uses established mechanisms to deliver aid safely and at the scale required.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 53578 on Genocide Convention, whether his Department made an assessment of the merits that Israel was in breach of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in July 2024.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK's long-standing policy is that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent national or international court, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. It should be decided after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible judicial process.
In the context of export licensing, Criterion 1 of the UK's Strategic Export Licensing Criteria requires respect for the UK's international obligations and commitments. We have carefully collated, reviewed and assessed relevant evidence concerning the Gaza conflict. In September, we took decisive action, stopping exports to the Israeli Defence Forces that might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict. The action we have taken, as announced to Parliament, is consistent with all our legal obligations, including those under the Arms Trade Treaty and Genocide Convention, and we remain wholly committed to international law.