Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the recent United Nations efforts to remove rubble in Gaza.

Rubble clearance is underway in Gaza, although much still remains to be done. Efforts are complicated by the dangers of unexploded ordnance concealed beneath the rubble. The UK pledged £20 million for early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, including support for short-term employment schemes that provide an income to local people to assist with rubble clearance and infrastructure repair.