Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what additional support the Government is providing to the Palestinian authorities in Gaza to help the region prepare for a potential outbreak of covid-19.

The UK has pledged £744 million to support the global humanitarian response to COVID-19, including the response in Gaza. We are providing additional vital support in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing £840,000 to the World Health Organisation and UN Children’s Fund to purchase and co-ordinate the delivery of medical equipment, treat critical care patients, train frontline public health personnel and scale up laboratory testing capacity.

The UN assesses that although the current number of detected cases remains relatively low, the capacity of the Palestinian health system to cope with an expected increase in COVID-19 cases is poor. The situation is particularly severe in Gaza, where the health system has shortages in specialised staff, drugs and equipment. We continue to monitor the situation and are working closely with the UN and the international community to ensure a co-ordinated and effective response.