Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what preparations his Department has made for increasing aid to Gaza after a potential ceasefire.

There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. Our focus must be on practical solutions that save lives.

We need Israel to ensure effective systems to guarantee the safety of aid convoys, humanitarian operations and IDP returns, and facilitate access, as well as ensure the UN has the people, vehicles, equipment and fuel to distribute aid safely across Gaza. This includes issuing visas.

We have also called on Israel to extend the opening hours and capacity of the Nitzana screening facility and Kerem Shalom checkpoint so more trucks, aid and fuel can enter Gaza, and to open the Kerem Shalom crossing 7 days a week.

We also want to see Israel remove restrictions to ensure greater consistency on the goods allowed in, and unencumbered access to aid coming from Jordan. In addition, we want Israel to open Ashdod Port as a route for aid to reach Gaza, open the Erez Crossing to allow direct access to the north of Gaza, and restore water, fuel and electricity connections.

The Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is based in the region and is working intensively to address the blockages preventing more aid reaching Gaza.