Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) homes and (b) healthcare centres that were (i) damaged and (ii) destroyed during the hostilities between Islamic Jihad and Israel in Gaza between 5 and 7 August 2022.
We have not made this assessment. We continue to monitor the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. All countries, including Israel, have a legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend their citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties. We unequivocally condemn the firing of over 1,100 rockets at civilians by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the ongoing campaign of terror attacks by the group, which has resulted in the deaths of innocent civilians, Israelis and Palestinians alike.