Monica Harding

I thank the Minister for his statement, and I welcome his words and attention on Yemen. I regret the shadow Foreign Secretary’s appalling comments from his seat, and his inability to meet the moment and do what the public are asking us to do about Gaza. I have continually noted in this Chamber that Israel’s current interpretation of dual-use restrictions means that Palestinians are routinely and systematically denied essential items. The floods could not have been prevented, but timely access to humanitarian aid could have reduced the ensuing devastation. As the Minister notes, 150,000 tents are waiting at Gaza’s borders but are not being allowed in. The crisis does not end with the floods. UNICEF reports that no waste water treatment plant is currently working in Gaza, while in Gaza City rainwater mixed with sewage is threatening to overflow from the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin, where only two of six pumps still work. UNICEF has been waiting for approval from the Israeli authorities for more than a year to bring in the equipment needed to repair the facility. As temperatures drop, more than half a million children in Gaza are now facing their fourth winter in torn tents or makeshift shelters, and more than a million people are in need of winter clothing. I share the Minister’s horror at the reports of the horrific attack on Nasser hospital, which has reportedly killed a surgeon, a child and patients. Enough was long ago enough. I welcome the Government’s condemnation of the illegal occupation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, but action must follow. Palestine must be able to function as a state without Hama and not permanently relying on an occupying force to decide whether it can access the basic necessities of life. Will the Government apply the new international humanitarian law sanctions regulations to specifically sanction those responsible for blocking aid? Will he use every diplomatic lever possible to push the Israeli Government to permit immediate entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, including those materials needed to make urgent repairs to water and sanitation infrastructure? What steps are the Government taking with international partners to stop aid being diverted or stolen by Hamas?