Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the risk of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

It is the UK government's long-standing position that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, and not for governments or non-judicial bodies. The International Court of Justice case on genocide is ongoing, and we support the independence of the court. Our approach to genocide determination does not prevent us from taking action to call out and seek to address risks of atrocities. We have been clear that we strongly oppose the expansion of Israel's operations in Gaza, that Israel must do much more to protect civilians, that Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change and that Israel must immediately lift its block on aid. Ministers have raised these issues with Israeli government counterparts, and we have repeatedly made our position clear through joint statements with partners and at the UN Security Council.