Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with the United Nations on the proportion of the population of Gaza who are at risk of (a) famine and (b) starvation.

In our statement to the UN Security Council on 13 May, we highlighted the recent report of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Partnership, and called on Israel to lift its cruel and inexcusable block in the flow of aid to Gaza. The report found that the whole of Gaza faces a critical risk of famine and that half a million people are facing starvation. In a joint statement with Canada and France on 19 May, the Prime Minister called on Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. This must include engaging with the UN to ensure a return to delivery of aid in line with humanitarian principles.