Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report in <i>Haaretz</i> that Israel already has a plan to evacuate the communities along the Gaza Strip border, what assessment they have made of the likelihood of military action in that area; and what steps they are taking with the international community to prepare to evacuate Gazan citizens in the event of such action.

The Government is deeply concerned that the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. We assess that the situation is bleak and our levers for change are few, but given the high human costs involved, we have been clear that all parties must do everything they can to reduce the possibility of a return to conflict. We are not taking any steps to prepare to evacuate Gazan citizens.