Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether any UK aid has been refused entry to Gaza by the Israeli authorities.

UK funded humanitarian aid supplies destined for Gaza are being delivered to the Strip. However, alongside significant congestion at the Rafah border, some items which Israel consider to be of potential "dual use" - civilian or military, such as solar lights and water filters, have been stopped and returned to Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) warehouses in Al-Arish. The UK is supporting the Egyptian ERCS, who are leading and coordinating the delivery of all national and international aid to Gaza within its auxiliary role to the Government of Egypt. The ERCS is working with other humanitarian actors, including the UN, to improve the tracking system of aid deliveries for this extremely complicated operation. This will help to provide more detail on the goods that have and have not been permitted to enter Gaza. The UK continues to press Israel to increase the flexibility and visibility on goods allowed into Gaza and improved efficiency of screening processes, and the Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and I have prioritised getting significantly more aid into Gaza. The Foreign Secretary has recently appointed his Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories who will actively engage with international partners and those operating on the ground to help unblock bottlenecks to delivery.