Commons Urgent
Question: Middle East: UK Military Deployments
(Wentworth and Dearne)
(Lab)
(Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to
make a statement on UK military deployments to the middle
east.
The Secretary of State for Defence ()
Since Hamas’s horrendous attack on Israel on
7 October, we have increased our military presence in the region.
This is to support contingency planning, monitor the evolving
situation, and be ready to react and respond. As the right hon.
Gentleman will know, I deployed a Royal Navy task group to the
eastern Mediterranean, including RFA Lyme Bay and RFA Argus,
three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines as a
contingency measure. HMS Diamond is sailing through the Red sea
to provide maritime security. HMS Lancaster is already in the
middle east.
This morning, I provided a written ministerial statement
notifying the House that unarmed military surveillance flights
will begin in support of hostage rescue. The UK Government have
been working with partners across the region to secure the
release of hostages, including British nationals who have been
kidnapped. I will move heaven and earth to bring our hostages
home. The UK Ministry of Defence will conduct surveillance
flights over the eastern Mediterranean, including operating in
airspace over Israel and Gaza. The
surveillance aircraft will be unmanned. They do not have a combat
role and will be tasked solely to locate hostages. Only
information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the
relevant authorities responsible for those rescues.
The MOD is working on land, air and maritime routes to deliver
urgently needed humanitarian aid. Four RAF flights carrying over
74 tonnes of aid have landed in Egypt. I am considering whether
RFA Argus and RFA Lyme Bay can support medical and humanitarian
aid provision, given that their original purpose was potentially
to take non-combatants out of the area. The MOD routinely deploys
significant numbers of military personnel in the wider middle
east for operations such as counter-Daesh, training, maritime
security and other reasons. There is currently a force laid down
across the region of nearly 2,500 military personnel.
Later this week, the Chief of the Defence Staff and I are
visiting sovereign base areas, the Republic of Cyprus, the
Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel I
will, of course, report back to the House after that visit. Our
objectives include to demonstrate and reaffirm the UK’s continued
support for Israel while
continuing to press for adherence to international humanitarian
law; to emphasise the importance the UK places on humanitarian
aid reaching Gaza; to facilitate a deeper understanding of
Israel’s planned next steps in Gaza now that the current pause
has ended, and activity along the northern border; and to
reaffirm the United Kingdom’s continued belief in a two-state
solution and support for a viable and sovereign Palestinian state
alongside a safe and secure Israel
Across the House, we welcomed last week’s pause in fighting and
we are all deeply concerned about its restarting. It was a
glimmer of light in the recent dark days to see hostages reunite
with families, aid reach desperate Palestinians and diplomacy
extend the initial pause. There can only be the long-term
settlement the Secretary of State talks about if Hamas cannot
carry out a terror attack again like that on 7 October, but the
military operations in north Gaza cannot be repeated in the same
way in the south. Far too many innocent civilians have been
killed. As the US Defence Secretary said:
“you can only win in urban warfare by protecting civilians.”
Israel must take all steps to protect civilians, meet the duties
of international law and secure flows of aid into Gaza.
I welcome the Secretary of State to the Dispatch Box for his
first statement, particularly as this week marks 100 days in the
job. The UK has an important role to play to strengthen regional
stability in the middle east. That is why the Leader of the
Opposition has met and spoken with leaders in the region,
including from Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Qatar.
That is why the shadow Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend
the Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy), has visited the region twice
in recent weeks, and that is why we welcomed the initial
deployment of UK forces on 13 October. They will do the job with
total professionalism, and we thank them for that.
Since then, however—according to an answer given to me by the
Secretary of State—the total number of UK personnel has risen to
at least 4,500, and the escalation risks have risen as well. How
will the Secretary of State ensure that UK surveillance flights
support hostage rescue and not Israeli operations? How many
British hostages remain in Gaza? How will the UK Navy ships that
the Secretary of State has deployed protect commercial shipping
routes? What action is the Secretary of State taking to boost
protection for UK personnel, especially those at joint allied
bases? What is he doing to open up the maritime routes for
humanitarian aid that he has told us about today? Finally, how
many more RAF aid flights will take off this month to get
much-needed aid into Gaza as the winter cold sets in?
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his questions. I should just
say that unarmed but not necessarily unmanned aircraft—initially,
the Shadow R1 —are taking on the task of looking for the
hostages.
The right hon. Gentleman asked about the information flow; I can
reassure the House that only the United Kingdom will have the
ability to provide that information, and that is how we will
ensure that it is used for the appropriate purposes. He asked
about the number of hostages; the United Kingdom has not
confirmed exact numbers, partly because it is still unclear
whether some may have died in the original 7 October event or in
subsequent events, and whether some may be being held. We do not
want to cause additional stress, but we know that there are still
British hostages being held.
The right hon. Gentleman asked about protecting the ships. They
are, of course, extremely capable ships—the last ship to be
deployed, HMS Diamond, is capable of looking after herself, one
might say—and we are benefiting from a great deal of co-operation
with allies in the region to assist with that force protection.
The right hon. Gentleman also asked about British forces in the
wider region who may be in, for example, Syria or Iraq. Again, we
take their force protection very seriously. As the right hon.
Gentleman will understand, I cannot go into operational
specifics, but we keep it under constant review.
Lastly, the right hon. Gentleman asked about humanitarian aid.
This country has provided £60 million-worth of additional aid
made available for Palestinians, and four flights have taken off
so far. Members on both sides of the House will realise that the
problem is not just providing the aid but getting it into Gaza.
The Rafah crossing presents a considerable barrier to that, for
all sorts of security reasons. I am actively looking at different
routes, and the right hon. Gentleman will understand that that is
one of the reasons I am going to the region this week.
Madam Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the Chair of the Defence Committee.
(Witney) (Con)
I welcome the Secretary of State’s answers, including his
confirmation that, as has been reported, the Shadow R1 is being
deployed. I note that the intention is to use a range of
surveillance aircraft. Will the Secretary of State tell us what
other assets he is intending to use? Given the significant
tasking, the threats to shipping and the ongoing commitments to,
for example, Operation Shader, will he comment on what is being
deprioritised to allow this mission to take place? Finally, in
view of the recent threats to the Rivet Joint aircraft—I know
that there are defensive aid suites on board—will he confirm that
due consideration is being given to the protection of crews,
given all the likely threats in the area and the presence of
Iran?
My hon. Friend will know that we have a number of capabilities
for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The Rivet
Joint, which he mentioned, has been involved in carrying out
missions elsewhere, and—as I think he hinted—has attracted
unprofessional behaviour from other air forces. We have the P-8
available as well, along with the Shadow R1 and others. Exactly
which aircraft and machinery perform these roles will depend on
operational circumstances, but I can confirm that we have not had
to pull resources away from other urgent work to provide this
cover.
(West
Dunbartonshire) (SNP)
It is important to repeat the denunciation of the death cult
known as Hamas. Given the war of attrition that is now taking
place in south Gaza, let me reiterate from the SNP Benches the
call for an immediate ceasefire, because I am afraid that a pause
will not suffice. The view from here, at least, is that without a
ceasefire we will see yet another graveyard from which
fundamentalism will rise.
Let me ask a specific question. The Secretary of State mentioned
reconnaissance missions looking, rightfully, for UK citizens
being held by Hamas. Does he agree that any information coming
out of those reconnaissance missions that sees illegal activity
under international law should be handed over to the
International Criminal Court for its ongoing investigation into
the operations in Gaza?
The hon. Gentleman is right to stress the abominable,
disgraceful, disgusting behaviour of Hamas. He calls for a
permanent ceasefire; I suggest that that would be a heck of a lot
easier if Hamas released the hostages they are holding right
now.
As I stressed earlier, we will be in charge of the reconnaissance
information, which will focus exclusively on hostage recovery and
will be passed only to the appropriate authorities.
Sir (New Forest East) (Con)
Those on both Front Benches seem to agree that Hamas must not
remain in control in Gaza. Is any thought being given to how,
once they have been removed, they can be prevented from coming
back? There will need to be policing, and a moderate major Arab
neighbour of Israel has said that a
two-state solution can happen only if it is enforced. Will we
have a hand in that enforcement? If not, how can it possibly
happen?
My right hon. Friend is an expert on these matters, and he is
right: there has to be an international outcome to this, and a
solution. I am afraid that in recent decades there has not been
sufficient global focus on a two-state solution because it seemed
to be an unsolvable problem, and it has slipped into the
background. My right hon. Friend is also right to say that there
must be a global coalition which will need to include Arab
states. A huge amount of work is being undertaken for what some
people call “the day after”.
(Halton) (Lab)
May I ask a slightly wider question? What are the Government
doing specifically to prevent escalation and promote regional
stability?
I think that if on 7 October we had projected forward eight weeks
and known what we know now, we would have been very concerned
about this leading to a widescale regional escalation. It is a
credit to the United Kingdom and the professionalism of our
services that, after the United States, we have deployed the most
military assistance to the area. I have been told by a fair
number of the Arab states that they appreciate the deterrent that
that has placed on Iran and its many proxies in the area.
Certainly the fact that eight weeks later we have not seen that
expand is a credit to the British laydown.
(Esher and Walton) (Con)
In recent weeks we have seen Houthi rebel attacks on shipping in
the Red sea, and back in June there were reports of harassment of
shipping in the strait of Hormuz by the Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps and Iranian attempts to consolidate control of
contested islands. What action is the UK taking with our allies
to protect freedom of navigation?
My right hon. Friend is right. We have seen the Houthi, out of
Yemen, try to take advantage of the situation and, for the first
time in a very long period, we have seen Somali pirates becoming
involved. That is why I have sent HMS Diamond to the Gulf, and it
is why HMS Lancaster is there as well. Let me reassure my right
hon. Friend: I am working very closely with our international
partners on how we can dissuade people from engaging in activity
of this kind in what are international shipping waters. That
includes the conversations that I had in the United States last
week with my opposite number, the American Defence Secretary,
Lloyd Austin.
(Exeter) (Lab)
How can the Secretary of State reassure me that the defence
resources and attention now been focused on the middle east will
not in any way reduce what we are able to commit to in support of
our friends in Ukraine?
I hope the right hon. Gentleman will know of my personal interest
in and dedication to Ukraine. I can absolutely reassure him that
this is not defocusing that work in any way, shape or form. We
are ensuring that we continue to provide daily support to our
Ukrainian friends, and I have a very close relationship with the
Ukrainian Defence Secretary Umerov, Deputy Prime Minister
Kubrakov, President Zelensky and many others within their
system.
(Rayleigh and Wickford)
(Con)
It is important that Israel abides by the
law of armed conflict, but in that context I welcome the
deployment of these assets, not least to try to locate the
British hostages. The Secretary of State will know that,
ultimately, Hamas and Hezbollah are funded and trained by Iran,
so what discussions has he had with our new Foreign Secretary
about when, oh when, we will finally declare that the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps should be banned?
The IRGC and its position are kept under constant review. I know
that my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is constantly
looking at the region. He has been out there already and will be
weighing up the advantages of things such as being able to have a
post in-country against what it would mean to carry out such a
ban. I also know that my right hon. Friend the Member for
Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois) will know how to take that up
with the Foreign Secretary.
(Paisley and Renfrewshire
North) (SNP)
Further to the question from my hon. Friend the Member for West
Dunbartonshire (), with the
International Criminal Court stepping up its work in Gaza and the
Government again confirming their surveillance flights over Gaza,
will the Government hand over any and all evidence of war crimes
to the ICC, whether they are committed by Hamas following the 7
October atrocities or in the ongoing massacre of Gazan civilians,
particularly children, by the Israel Defence
Forces?
The easiest way to bring this to an end, as I hinted earlier,
would be for Hamas, a terrorist organisation, to release the
hostages that they have, to stop firing rockets
into Israel in a completely
indiscriminate way, which I think the whole House should condemn,
and to allow this thing to be brought to a close. As I have said
repeatedly, it is important that Israel should
adhere to international humanitarian law. I will be making that
point publicly and have made that point all along to my Israeli
counterpart, Minister Gallant. I wonder why, however, the concern
is not about the hostages who are being held and how this
situation could be brought to a conclusion much faster if they
were released.
(Bournemouth East) (Con)
I am pleased to hear that contingency planning is taking place.
Would the Secretary of State consider tasking the aircraft
carrier to the region as well? Behind Hamas sits Iran, behind
Iran sits Russia, and behind Russia sits China. We are seeing new
alliances forming, and the world’s ability to deal with these
challenges is being severely tested, as are our own armed forces,
who are now increasingly overstretched. What conversations is he
having now with the Chancellor about increasing the defence spend
in the Budget in the spring?
I will go for the last of my right hon. Friend’s many good
questions. This Government are committed to 2.5%, as conditions
allow. I know that he will be making his own representations to
the Chancellor. I have previously talked about my own belief that
we need to reach not just that 2.5% but 3% and higher.
(Tiverton and Honiton)
(LD)
It was reassuring last week, in answer to my question, to hear
the Minister for Armed Forces, the right hon. Member for Wells
() telling us that UK
surveillance flights would not involve the use of intelligence
for target acquisition. I also welcome the Secretary of State
talking today about how information that would be helpful to
hostage recovery will be passed to the so-called appropriate
authorities. We have now heard two questions about the
International Criminal Court. Will the UK pass any evidence that
it gathers of any breaches of international humanitarian law by
combatants in Gaza to the ICC?
As the hon. Gentleman says, that question has been asked, and I
have answered it a couple of times. The intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance—ISR—flights are to look for
British hostages and indeed other hostages. That is the
information that will be gathered from those flights. Of course,
if we saw anything else, we would most certainly alert our
partners, but the purpose is to find our hostages and bring them
home.
(North East Hampshire)
(Con)
We all ultimately want peace in the region, and we all want to
see humanitarian aid getting through. I welcome what my right
hon. Friend has said about HMS Diamond joining HMS Lancaster,
because does that not send a signal to Iran that its support for
terror groups is not acceptable and must not continue, and that
through this action we will prevent further bloodshed in the
region?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is important that we
send that deterrent message, and it is working. I have called on
all parties not to think that this is an opportunity to get
involved and cause further regional escalation, and so far, I am
pleased to say that our deterrent has helped to keep a lid on
that.
(Bethnal Green and Bow)
(Lab)
This conflict has already cost over 15,000 Palestinian civilian
lives and over 1,200 Israeli lives. The US Defence Secretary has
said:
“You replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat…I have
repeatedly made clear to Israel’s leaders that protecting
civilians in Gaza is both a moral responsibility and a strategic
imperative.”
We know that regional escalation is a real threat. What will the
Secretary of State be doing to work with Arab states and the US
to apply pressure on the warring parties to bring an end to this
war so that we do not see other countries, including our own and
the US, becoming engulfed in a wider regional conflict?
I was actually with Lloyd Austin, the US Defence Secretary, when
he spoke those words, I believe, and we agree entirely. To make
it absolutely clear, Israel needs to comply
with international humanitarian law. It needs to go out of its
way to warn people when it goes after the terrorists, who use
those people as human shields as a matter of routine. The hon.
Lady rightly asks what we are doing with our Arab partners in the
region. This will be my second visit to the region and I speak to
my Arab counterparts all the time. They have welcomed our
deterrents, but they also want us to work with the international
community on making sure that, on the following day, when this is
complete, the solution is not left to chance as it was before and
that we are all working together to bring about a safer, more
peaceful middle east for Israel and for
Gaza.
(The Wrekin) (Con)
I welcome the deployment of HMS Diamond and HMS Lancaster and the
potential deployment of two further ships, but what discussions
has my right hon. Friend had with our NATO and EU partners about
perhaps sharing the burden? What progress has he made on that?
Shadow R1 is a slow-moving specialist manned aircraft, but it is
unarmed in a region that has Iranian proxies with quite good
capabilities, as well as Syria and Russian activity. How
confident is he that the advice he has received has not put those
servicemen in extreme harm’s way?
To clarify the record on the two ships that my right hon. Friend
mentions, HMS Lancaster was already there and HMS Diamond is
there now, and there are two Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships, which I
sent right at the beginning of this conflict. In answer to his
broader question, for security, making sure that our personnel
are kept safe is always at the heart of what we do. I appreciate
his concern, and I know that he will understand that I cannot go
into the detail of how we ensure that protection, but it is very
much upmost in our minds wherever and whenever we deploy.
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
Yesterday I asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the hon. Member for
Aldershot (), whether the UK Government
were in a position to contribute to the International Criminal
Court’s call for evidence in its investigation of potential
breaches of international humanitarian law. He said:
“Not at this stage, but we will continue to take
note.”[—[Official Report, 4 December 2023; Vol. 742, c.
34.]](/search/column?VolumeNumber=742&ColumnNumber=34&House=1)
Surely, if the UK Government are actively collecting drone and
surveillance images of the war zone, the answer to that question
should have been yes?
I would have thought that the No. 1 concern would be to locate
the British hostages, and that is where the surveillance work
will focus. The FCDO will be best placed to answer the hon.
Gentleman’s specific question.
(Bracknell) (Con)
I am grateful to the Defence Secretary for confirming that the
MOD is currently rightly focused on regional security and
containment but, inasmuch as the UK has a responsibility
to Israel we also have a
responsibility to the people of Gaza. Can he therefore reassure
me that His Majesty’s forces will not become involved in any
military action unless it is in direct support of British
interests or British nationals?
Yes.
(Hayes and Harlington)
(Lab)
The right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir ) mentioned future
arrangements. Can the Secretary of State give the House an
assurance that there will be no deployment of British troops on
the ground in Gaza, Israel or the west bank
without the approval of this House?
There simply is not going to be a deployment, so that will not be
required.
Sir (Northampton North) (Con)
The Houthis, who are attacking British and American cargo ships,
and Hamas are basically two sides of the same coin. They are
Iranian-funded, Iranian-trained and, of course, Iranian-guided
terrorist groups that are publicly committed to the destruction
of Israel Does the
Defence Secretary agree that using UK military assets in support
of our ally is crucial to deterring further escalation? None of
us wants further escalation.
I particularly welcome the UK’s deployment of drones to help
locate hostages, including British hostages. In the days after 7
October, the Defence Secretary said:
“No nation should stand alone in the face of such evil”.
Will he repeat that crucial support today and in the difficult
days ahead? I thank him for his support.
I clarify again that these are not necessarily only drones. Some
will be piloted or will be unarmed. My right hon. and learned
Friend is absolutely right that no nation should stand alone. It
is easy to forget how this all began, when the Hamas terrorist
group thought it was a plan to go into Israel to
butcher men, women and children, cut off heads and rape
people.
(North Down) (Alliance)
One of the keys to securing and sustaining any ceasefire, pending
a wider political solution, may be a UN, or UN-authorised,
peacekeeping or monitoring presence on the ground. For various
reasons, historical and otherwise, such a presence may have to be
led by the Arab states. Does the Secretary of State foresee any
situation in which the MOD could provide back-up support to such
a presence? Is any planning being done for such a scenario?
As the hon. Gentleman can imagine—and this was included in my
conversations in the States last week—there is a huge amount of
international work about what happens afterwards and how it will
be structured. It is rather too soon, I am afraid, to predict
exactly how it will look, but I do not think he is too far off
the mark to think that this needs to be a truly global response.
It will need to involve Arab partners. We will do whatever we can
to support that, but I see no circumstances in which British
troops would be on the ground.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
Can my right hon. Friend elaborate on the efforts the Government
are making to de-escalate the conflict, in the hope that this
would reduce civilian casualties?
Of course, the single biggest thing that could happen to escalate
this conflict would be for it to turn into a regional conflict. I
am thinking, in particular, of Hezbollah on the northern border
with Lebanon, as well as what could happen from Syria, from
Iranian-backed terrorists in Iraq and, of course, from the
Houthis. This could get worse in a variety of places, which is
why sending ships and military for deterrent purposes has been so
vital and has been our primary approach to preventing this
conflict from turning into a bigger regional conflict.
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
Can the Secretary of State tell us what role the RAF base in
Cyprus is currently playing in this situation? Is any military
matériel being moved through that base?
The hon. Lady will know that the RAF bases in Cyprus are a very
useful asset. They are being used, for example, to provide
support to our military in the area. To answer her specific
question, I can assure her that we have provided no offensive
military weapons to Israel during this
conflict. In fact, our military exports to Israel are quite low.
Last year’s figure was something like £48 million, which is not a
very significant amount of money. During the conflict, we would
provide only defensive matériel, or matériel that might help with
the recovery of hostages.
(Buckingham) (Con)
I applaud the decisive actions of my right hon. Friend and the
Government to defend our strategic ally, Israel
against Hamas, but the grim reality on the ground right now is
that Hamas continue to fire dozens of rockets at Israeli towns
and cities. The Iran-backed terror group have fired more than
10,000 rockets since 7 October and show no sign of stopping their
violent attacks against Israel Will my right
hon. Friend not only commit to continuing his support
for Israel in defending
itself against Hamas, but reassure the House that every possible
step is being taken to counter Iran’s links across the region,
which are causing instability?
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point that the conflict would
be over immediately if hostages were released and Hamas stopped
firing rockets into Israel—there would not be a cause for
conflict. Indeed, that is the policy Israel followed for
many years, hoping that, even though rocket attacks continued,
Hamas would not take advantage of their own population by using
them as human shields and building infrastructure under
hospitals, schools and homes. Unfortunately, that is not the
Hamas way. That is what they have done, and my hon. Friend is
absolutely right to identify Iran as being behind this whole evil
business.
(Islington North) (Ind)
The Secretary of State needs to be very clear with the House:
15,000 people have already died in Gaza, and 1,200 have died
in Israel Israel is clearly
pushing the entire population southwards, if not out of the Gaza
strip altogether. Is Britain involved in the military actions
that Israel has taken,
either physically or by providing information in support of those
military activities? I think the House needs to be told. What is
the long-term aim of British military involvement in Gaza?
The simple answer is no, and I hope that clears it up. I am
surprised to hear the right hon. Gentleman talk just about people
being killed. They were murdered. They were slaughtered. It was
not just some coincidental thing. I understand and share the
concerns about the requirement on Israel on us and
on everyone else to follow international humanitarian law.
When Israel drops leaflets,
when it drops what it calls a “knock” or a “tap” and does not
bomb until afterwards, when it calls people to ask them to move,
when it issues maps showing where Hamas have their tunnels and
asks people to move away from them, that is a far cry from what
Hamas did on 7 October, when they went after men, women and
children.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement on increased UK
military deployment in the middle east. Thanks to the armed
forces parliamentary scheme, I have been privileged to meet some
of the highly skilled RAF and Royal Navy personnel who serve our
country. Will my right hon. Friend join me in paying tribute to
their exemplary professionalism and sense of duty as they
undertake this extremely important work in the middle east, not
just on behalf of our country and people in the middle east, but
on behalf of every civilised democracy in the world?
I absolutely join my hon. Friend. They are the most remarkable
people, often operating in very difficult circumstances. I am
very much looking forward to meeting some of them in the region
this week.
(Liverpool, Riverside)
(Lab)
We have seen increased bombardment in southern Gaza after the
pause. We are also seeing increased violence in the west bank,
supported by extremist settler Ministers. What talks is the
Secretary of State having with Israel to stop
the increase in settler violence in the west bank?
I certainly will not be pulling my punches when I speak to my
Israeli counterparts. The violence in the west bank is
unacceptable and it must be controlled—stopped, in fact. None of
that, in any way, shape or form, separates us from our utter
condemnation of how this whole thing was started in the first
place with Hamas, but the hon. Lady is right about that settler
violence.
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
(SNP)
Medical Aid for Palestinians has warned that Israel’s
indiscriminate bombing and siege is making it impossible to
sustain human life in Gaza. With 1.8 million civilians displaced
and a lack of clean water and sanitation, it is just a matter of
time before a cholera outbreak kills many thousands more. The
Secretary of State has been unequivocal that the main purpose of
surveillance is to help find hostages, which is fine, but for the
fifth time of asking: if clear evidence is found of breaches of
humanitarian law, will the UK Government share that evidence with
the International Criminal Court?
The simple answer is that we will always follow international
humanitarian law and its requirements. I want to say, with
reference to the aid picture on the ground, that one of the
primary reasons for my visit this coming week is to work on
ensuring that the international community can get more aid into
Gaza, and the United Kingdom will be leading on that point.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I very much thank the Secretary of State and the Government for
the stance they have taken. It is one that I and my constituents
very much support, as we do finding a solution. May I also thank
the Government for working tirelessly with partners abroad to
bring home British nationals trapped in Gaza? Will the Secretary
of State perhaps provide assurances that surveillance flights
will continue to fly over the eastern Mediterranean as long as
there are still risks to British nationals remaining in Gaza?
I can certainly provide an assurance that we will always do
whatever we are able to do in the circumstances. During the
recent pause, for example, part of the deal was that surveillance
flights were not flown, but we would always ensure that we are
trying to assist. In particular, given that this entire episode
began with something of a surveillance failure, the UK has always
been keen to help; from the very early days of this conflict we
have provided additional intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance over the eastern Mediterranean. What is new now is
for that to be over Gaza, relating to the hostages
specifically.
(Glenrothes) (SNP)
It is absolutely right that innocent hostages should be released,
and that steps should be taken to release them. It is absolutely
right that those responsible for the crimes of Hamas are held to
account in international law. But why is the Secretary of State
so reluctant to give a clear, simple “yes” to the question
whether the Government will provide any evidence of war crimes to
the International Criminal Court? Is it because he has already
seen such evidence? Is it because Israel has asked
him to promise not to share such evidence? What is the
reason?
I have already said that the United Kingdom is bound by, and
would always observe, international humanitarian law.
Written statement:
Israel and Gaza
The Secretary of State for Defence (): Since the terrorist attacks
against Israel of 7 October
2023, the UK Government have been working with partners across
the region to secure the release of hostages, including British
nationals, who have been kidnapped. The safety of British
nationals is our utmost priority. In support of the ongoing
hostage rescue activity, the UK Ministry of Defence will conduct
surveillance flights over the eastern Mediterranean, including
operating in airspace over Israel and Gaza.
Surveillance aircraft will be unarmed, do not have a combat role
and will be tasked solely with locating hostages. Only
information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the
relevant authorities responsible for hostage rescue.
