Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how much additional aid his Department has announced for Gaza since 7 October 2023; whether any aid provided by his Department has not been able to enter Gaza since 7 October 2023; and what value of aid goods is currently stockpiled and unable to enter Gaza.

The flow of aid into and through Gaza continues to be insufficient and we are urgently exploring all diplomatic options to increase this, including urging Israel to open other existing land border crossings such as Kerem Shalom and we are exploring maritime options. As of the 13 December, 152 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies and four tankers of fuel entered Gaza from Egypt. This is above the daily volume recorded since the resumption of hostilities on 1 December but remains well below the daily average of 500 truckloads (including fuel and private sector goods) that entered every working day prior to 7 October.

The UK was among the first to call on Israel to open up Kerem Shalom fully. Israel has now decided to use the Kerem Shalom checkpoint to pre-screen trucks ahead of crossing through the Rafah checkpoint, which is welcome. This should speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza, levels of which reaching civilians remains wholly insufficient. However, we continue to call on Israel to open up Kerem Shalom fully so trucks carrying fuel and humanitarian assistance can enter directly into Gaza, as they did before the current conflict. This would be a much more significant step change.