Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his Egyptian counterpart on creation of a safe haven for refugees in that country.

The former Foreign Secretary was in frequent contact with Foreign Minister Shoukry about the situation in Gaza, including about provision of humanitarian aid through the Rafah border crossing. The Foreign Secretary will continue to engage regularly. The Egyptian government is clear, including in public statements, that it does not see movement of refugees into Egypt as a solution to the humanitarian crisis. We are working closely together to supply humanitarian aid to Gaza through Rafah, while facilitating the crossing of British Nationals and other foreign nationals for evacuation to third countries.