Commons statement on
Occupied Palestinian Territories: Humanitarian Situation
The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Office ( )
With permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to update the
House on the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. A tragedy is unfolding. Israel has suffered the
worst terrorist attack in its history. Palestinian civilians in
Gaza are experiencing a devastating humanitarian crisis and
violence is rising in the west bank. The best estimates emerging
from a confused situation are that 2.3 million people need access
to safe drinking water, food supplies are running out, one third
of hospitals have been forced to shut down and 1.5 million people
are displaced. I know that the whole House shares my pain at
seeing so many innocent lives destroyed on and since 7
October.
Britain is working intensively to get more aid into Gaza, to
support the safe return of hostages and British nationals, to
back Israel’s right to self-defence and to prevent a dangerous
regional escalation. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and
the Foreign Secretary have been engaging extensively and Lord
Ahmad has been constantly in the region. This morning I met a
group of charities and non-governmental organisations involved in
getting life-saving support into Gaza. I spoke yesterday to the
Jordanian, Lebanese and Egyptian ambassadors and early this
morning once again to Martin Griffiths. I wish also to pay
tribute to our diplomats and development experts who are striving
to make a difference in the most difficult of circumstances.
Despite the many challenges, the whole Government are determined
to do all that we can to continue to stand up for what is right
and do the right thing. Immediately after Hamas’s brutal assault,
the Government brought home almost 1,000 British nationals safely
on charter and military flights, but the safety of all British
nationals is our utmost priority, so we are in regular contact
with those in Gaza registered with us since the conflict began.
Working with partners, we have been engaging intensively
with Israel and Egypt to
allow foreign nationals to leave Gaza via the Rafah border
crossing. This has proved possible on five of the last seven
days, and I can confirm to the House that, as of late last night,
more than 150 British nationals had made it through to Egypt. A
forward-deployed team of consular officials is in el-Arish, close
to Rafah, to meet them and provide the medical, consular and
administrative support they need. We have also set up a reception
centre for British nationals in Cairo and have arranged
accommodation. We will do everything we can to ensure that all
remaining British nationals in Gaza can leave safely.
Sadly, among the British nationals in Gaza some are held hostage
by Hamas, among the more than 200 innocents cruelly kidnapped on
7 October. Their plight is a stark reminder of what Hamas
represent. The terrorists continue to launch rockets relentlessly
at Israeli homes and families. Their stated aim, repeated
publicly in recent weeks, is the destruction of the Israeli state
and the eradication of its people. That is why the Government
unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend itself. However,
we have also repeatedly stressed that Israel must take every
precaution to minimise civilian casualties in line with
international humanitarian law. We continue to
press Israel to ensure that
its campaign is targeted against Hamas leaders, militants and
military infrastructure. We also condemn settler
violence. Israel needs to take
concrete measures to address it and hold the perpetrators to
account.
All parties to a conflict must ensure that their actions are
proportionate and necessary, affording innocent civilians the
protection that is their right under international law. Who can
doubt that this is true, because the Palestinian people are also
victims of Hamas. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has
expressed his condolences to the President of the Palestinian
Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, for the deaths of Palestinian civilians
caught in the aftermath of Hamas’s attack.
Since 7 October, the UK has made available £30 million of
additional aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, more than
doubling our existing aid commitment for this year. So far, three
UK flights carrying a total of 51 tonnes of aid have landed in
Egypt. The shipments included life-saving items such as wound
care packs, water filters and solar powered lights. We have also
sent humanitarian advisers and vital equipment including the
forklift trucks, belt conveyors and lighting towers specifically
requested by the Egyptian Red Crescent Society to help it to
manage and deliver all the international aid received in Egypt
more effectively. For this aid to meet escalating needs, however,
it must enter Gaza and do so in much greater quantity. The
Government have been working closely with partners including the
United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and
the Egyptian and Israeli Governments to achieve this.
Since 21 October, a limited number of trucks of aid have crossed
into the strip, but the volume going through the Rafah checkpoint
is nowhere near enough to meet civilian needs and it cannot be,
even were it operating at full capacity. We are therefore
urgently exploring with partners measures that can help to
increase the flow of humanitarian support. These measures must
include effective humanitarian pauses, as agreed by all the G7
countries in Tokyo this morning, and we are urging Israel to consider
utilising the facilities at other land border crossings into
Gaza, such as Kerem Shalom. This reflects our current assessment
that delivery by land remains the only safe option to deliver aid
in the quantity needed in Gaza while ensuring the necessary
control and oversight. Control and oversight matters, given the
absolute imperative of ensuring that aid reaches those in need
and is not diverted or misused. Aid diversion is a real risk—more
so during conflicts—and I will set out to the House how we are
managing those risks.
All UK aid undergoes rigorous oversight. No funding goes to Hamas
or the Palestinian Authority. Our humanitarian programme in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories already operates with enhanced
sensitivity, with the Government having introduced additional
safeguards in 2017. They include measures to verify and map
downstream partners, non-payment of local taxes, and enhanced
due-diligence processes. We constantly review the due-diligence
assessments in place with all partners involved in delivering aid
in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The whole House recognises, however, that to prevent further
conflict and terrorism and truly alleviate civilian suffering,
there must be a political solution to the conflict. This issue is
uniquely polarising. We have seen across the world and in our own
communities its potential to radicalise. The long-standing
British position on the middle east process is unchanged: we want
to see a safe and secure Israel living alongside
a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. The urgency of a
political track—extraordinarily difficult today—has never been
more clear. Both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to live
in peace and security.
We have moral clarity over Israel’s right to self-defence and we
reject all forms of antisemitism, but we are also committed to
discharging our moral duty to alleviate the suffering of ordinary
Palestinians and we reject all forms of Islamophobia. The current
turmoil must act as a further impulse towards realising a
peaceful future for the region, and the UK will be doing all it
can to achieve that. I commend this statement to the House.
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
I call the shadow Minister.
1.02pm
(Wigan) (Lab)
I thank the Minister for the copy of his statement and for his
call last night.
Four weeks on from the horror of 7 October, it is hard to
comprehend the scale of the devastation in Gaza: almost 1.5
million people displaced and more than 10,000 people killed, with
more trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Every
single one of those lives matters. Every single death is a
devastating tragedy. With two thirds of the dead being women and
children, these civilian deaths are not just shocking—they cannot
be ignored. Hundreds of thousands of people are crowded into
shelters in desperate need of food, water, medicine and fuel. And
while we welcome the 93 trucks that entered through Rafah on 6
November, that is completely insufficient to meet the scale of
humanitarian need.
I was surprised the Minister did not make more mention of fuel,
because this is the urgent priority. Without it the water cannot
flow, the hospitals cannot power their incubators and the food
cannot be cooked. The sewage system breakdown is now threatening
a major public health crisis. For weeks, the international
community has demanded that the siege conditions on Gaza be
lifted, but that has still not happened. That is totally
unacceptable and it cannot continue.
Both the UN humanitarian co-ordinator Martin Griffiths and the
United States have made serious efforts to break the deadlock,
and to provide the assurances that Israel needs about fuel
diversion. Can the Minister tell the House what efforts the
Government are making to insist that fuel for humanitarian
purposes can get into Gaza? I welcome his update on discussions
about Kerem Shalom, but what is his assessment on the speed at
which that could be achieved? May I urge him again to follow the
US example and appoint a humanitarian co-ordinator to scale up
the passage of aid?
We all recognise that while rockets and bombs continue to fall,
it is impossible to deliver the scale of aid needed across the
whole of Gaza and to repair the damage, extensive as it is, to
water and electricity systems. We all want an end to the violence
and the urgent release of hostages, but with Hamas leaders
doubling down on their determination to attack Israel and
with Israel ruling out a
ceasefire until hostages are released, the reality is that
humanitarian pauses are, as Martin Griffiths wrote movingly last
week, “the only viable prospect”. In Cairo last week, Ministers
and aid agencies impressed on me the urgency of that. Pauses
provide not only much needed aid, but space: space for the basic
humanity to bury the dead; space to look past the pain; and space
for dialogue to make progress towards peace more likely. This is
needed now. No more delay.
We are devastated by the deaths of so many aid workers and United
Nations Relief and Works Agency staff—the highest number killed
in any conflict in the UN’s history. I hope I join the whole
House in mourning their loss and paying tribute to their bravery
and their humanity. [Hon. Members: “Hear, hear.”] Safe shelters,
safe distribution centres, and safe medical facilities, hospitals
and emergency service convoys are essential.
I echo the Minister’s words about the unacceptable nature of
settler violence in the west bank, but will he join me in
reiterating our calls that Israel’s clear right to self-defence
is not a blank cheque? He acknowledged the importance of
international law. Has he raised the protection of hospitals,
schools and refugee camps with his Israeli counterparts, and the
need for action to be in accordance with international law in
order to protect civilians and ensure safe and unimpeded access
for aid?
The average age in Gaza is just 18. Make no mistake: this is a
children’s war. More children have died in Gaza in four weeks
than in all the world’s conflicts in each of the last three
years. There are 1 million children caught up in the devastation
who are orphaned and displaced, sleeping outside as the weather
grows colder, short of food and forced to drink dirty water. In
most conflicts we would expect children to be evacuated to a
safer place to receive care and shelter. What makes this so
devastating is that, almost uniquely, in this conflict that is
not going to happen.
In the face of such an extraordinary threat to children, the
international community is obligated to do more. With the Foreign
Secretary at the G7 this week, will the Government join us in
calling for an emergency plan to support the children of Gaza, to
prioritise aid to children, safe and protected shelters for food,
clean water and medical care as winter sets in? The crisis did
not start in Gaza on 7 October. Even before then, two thirds of
children were suffering from trauma. One aid agency that operates
in North Sinai and Gaza told me last week that this now stands at
100%. Without a long-term co-ordinated plan for the children of
Gaza, the political solution we need will not be realised and the
cycle of violence will not be broken. We can and must do
more.
Mr Mitchell
I thank the hon. Lady very much for her comments and for the
priorities she set out in her response. I echo her comment about
the brave humanitarian workers who lost their lives. She will
remember that we consistently condemned that in the case of
Sudan, where approximately 20 lost their lives. As she has, we
honour, across the House, the more than 100 humanitarian
workers—unarmed people putting themselves in harm’s way
deliberately to help their fellow citizens—who have lost their
lives.
I also pay tribute to those working in the crisis centre in
Whitehall. One hundred or so officials, nearly all volunteers and
very young, were working triple shifts the night that Rafah
opened, working through the night to help British citizens. I pay
tribute to them, their spirit and their hard work.
The hon. Lady made a particular point about the importance of
fuel and, of course, she is absolutely right. We are negotiating
for it. She will know that Hamas have a lot of fuel in their
tunnels—we recognise entirely what that fuel is being used for—so
fuel could be made available to help in humanitarian purposes. We
are doing our best to negotiate for it. She will also have seen
today’s G7 statement, which is very clear on these points.
The hon. Lady asks about routes for access, and the American
envoy, Mr Satterfield, has been working non-stop to try to work
out whether we can speed up other routes, using Kerem Shalom and
Rafah, and we will continue to do all that.
The hon. Lady prioritises the importance of pauses, and we
completely agree. We are arguing for humanitarian pauses, but she
will also accept that, in the method within the pause by which
humanitarian support is distributed, it is extremely important
that we do not repeat the mistakes we made in Srebrenica, Rwanda
and northern Iraq, when vulnerable people were brought together
whom we were unable to protect. There are very clear guidelines
on any pauses and safe spaces, and there must be absolute
protection for those who go to them.
The hon. Lady mentioned that support for Israel is
not a blank cheque. Of course, she is right. Good friends deliver
hard messages, and they are able to do so precisely because they
are good friends. She talks of children, and I saw UNICEF this
morning. I entirely recognise the passion with which she raised
that point. We will do everything we can to ensure that the
priority of children is recognised in all the humanitarian work
we do.
Finally, I remind the House of the wise words of our former
colleague, and former Foreign Secretary, the noble . At the end of his brilliant
article in The Times on 9 October, he said:
“It is no consolation to those caught up in it but…this is no
strategic masterstroke by Hamas, more a desperate move to fend
off a future that is rapidly leaving them behind.”
We should not forget that, the day after this, there will be an
urgent need for a political context.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. I and, I suspect, my successor in the Chair will do our
utmost to accommodate all Members, because we recognise the
importance of this subject. I would be grateful if hon. Members
would keep their remarks as brief as possible under the
circumstances, in order that we can accommodate everybody.
I also gently remind the House of the admonition offered by Mr
Speaker yesterday. We are dealing with very sensitive and very
emotive issues. Words matter and the tone of those words matter.
I know the House is capable of rising to an occasion, and I trust
that this will be one of them.
(South West Bedfordshire)
(Con)
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I hope that the Government’s calls
for humanitarian pauses will continue and be insistent. The
Minister talked about a viable Palestinian state, which requires
land. The reality is that so much of that land has been lost to
illegal settlements. Will he continue to make that point, because
a brighter future will require land to guarantee the peace we all
yearn for.
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend makes an extremely good point. Of course we will
continue, as he suggests, to prioritise the issue of pauses. He
will know that, in my statement, I condemned settler violence, as
did the Prime Minister in yesterday’s response to the Gracious
Speech. What he says is right, and we will not forget that.
(Glasgow South West)
(SNP)
I associate myself with the shadow Minister’s comments paying
tribute to all the UN and aid workers who have been killed. The
Minister is correct to remind the House that UK nationals are
being held hostage by Hamas.
That said, the Israeli military must follow the laws of war in
this situation. Have the Government made an assessment of
Israel’s compliance with international human rights law since 14
October? As he mentioned in his statement, hospitals in Gaza are
running out of fuel and UNRWA is warning that its aid operation
will shortly “come to a stop” if fuel supplies do not get into
Gaza, with blood and life-saving equipment also running out. Have
the Government considered sending a military hospital ship to
Egypt to help injured men, women and children who have been able
to leave Gaza?
Finally, the Minister rightly said that there must be a political
solution. The Red Cross has said that it is
“not an exaggeration to say it’s catastrophic in Gaza.”
In Gaza, 4,100 Palestinian children have died—a rate of 180
children a day. At what point will the UK Government join the
many of us who are asking them to use their leverage to reach
that political solution and call for an immediate ceasefire in
Gaza?
Mr Mitchell
I thank the hon. Gentleman for what he says and the tone in which
he says it. I also thank him for what he says about the brave
humanitarian workers who have lost their lives. He asks whether
we are aware of the full impact of supplies running out in Gaza,
and I can assure him that we absolutely are. He speaks about the
importance of following the rules of war and international
humanitarian law, and both Front Benches are urging the Israeli
Government to do that. We note the commitment of the President
of Israel in that respect,
but everyone will be watching to ensure that the rules of war are
obeyed.
(Meriden) (Con)
I have not spoken to a single constituent who has not felt the
pain and tragedy of the 1,400 people murdered on 7 October, or of
the tragedy unfolding in Gaza. I commend the Minister for all the
work he is doing, and I know he works incredibly hard to make
sure no stone is left unturned. Can he confirm that aid will
increase, if necessary, in future? Does he share my concern about
the risk of the conflict expanding because of the presence of
Hezbollah? Its 100,000 soldiers and 150,000 rockets pose a risk
to the region.
Mr Mitchell
I thank my hon. Friend for his comments. We have doubled the
amount of aid going into the region, but we will increase it
further if necessary. We are currently doing a lot of work to try
to work out how to quantify what is in el-Arish and how to make
sure it can be moved. Physically moving the aid is also a factor,
which is why Britain has sent five forklift trucks and a conveyor
belt.
Of course, regional expansion is an enormous worry for us all,
and it is one of the reasons why the Prime Minister decided to
send both air and naval assets to RAF Akrotiri in the eastern
Mediterranean, to see what is being moved, to interdict any arms
that are coming in, and to make sure we do everything we can to
ensure that this conflict is contained and does not expand
further.
(Ealing Central and Acton)
(Lab)
Ten thousand people have been killed in a month, with UN staff,
buildings, hospitals, journalists and the third oldest church in
Christendom unspared, since Hamas’s deadly atrocities. There are
230-plus hostages still in captivity. The Minister talks about
being a critical friend, so will he urge the Netanyahu
Administration to recognise that statements such as the one about
a “permanent” Gazan takeover, with some Israeli Ministers not
even ruling out nukes, are only losing them support? Does he have
any advice for my constituent, whose sister is a survivor of a
family mostly wiped out when they moved south, as instructed? He
says, “We don’t just want to manage to eat before dying under
rubble.”
Mr Mitchell
I thank the hon. Lady for her comments. As far as the hostages
are concerned, she will appreciate that we do not give a running
commentary on those negotiations. She may rest assured that we
are working very closely, including with Qatar, to secure their
release. She will have seen the condemnation of the nuclear
comment made by a senior Israeli.
On the subject of what happens when the conflict is over, she
will have seen the very constructive comments made not only by
some of the surrounding Arab leaders but by Secretary Blinken
when he addressed that point.
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
I appreciate that the Minister is limited in what he can share on
sensitive diplomatic matters, but will he assure the House that
the UK Government are doing everything possible to work with
allies to negotiate the return of the hostages?
Mr Mitchell
Yes.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
As we see the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, with
the terrible images of the dying, displaced and maimed, our focus
must be on getting humanitarian aid to them and a humanitarian
pause for them. As we look forward to a time when the bombing
stops, does the Minister agree that the lack of focus on
progressing a two-state solution over the past decade and more
was a failure on the part of the international community? Will he
set out something of what he will be doing to bring renewed focus
on a just political settlement to the conflict in the region?
Mr Mitchell
The Foreign Office and British Government are very focused on how
to re-energise the peace process when the opportunity presents
itself. The hon. Lady will have seen the comments that have been
made about both a civil Administration in Gaza and what is
necessary to secure peace when that point arrives. It is
important to note that the huge progress—ultimately
unsuccessful—that was made at Oslo took place on the back of the
first intifada. It may therefore be that there will be an
opportunity, given the disaster that has taken place, to
re-energise that political track. We must make sure that if that
opportunity presents itself, we grasp it with both hands.
(Haltemprice and Howden)
(Con)
This is something that unites the House more than divides it,
certainly on the issue of the horrors going on in Palestine right
now and what caused them. We all recognise the personal
commitment of the Minister to humanitarian aims and, in
particular, to humanitarian pauses. Does he agree that those who
call for a ceasefire must recognise that Hamas is a terrorist
organisation and, as was said by the right hon. Member for East
Antrim () yesterday, that terrorist
organisations go for ceasefires only when they suit their own
regrouping, not to end violence?
Mr Mitchell
I thank my right hon. Friend for his comments and, of course, he
is absolutely right. We all recognise the motivation of those who
call for a ceasefire and why they are doing it, but at this time,
in this situation, it is perfectly clear that Hamas have no
intention of engaging in a ceasefire. Indeed, they have
repeatedly made it clear that their intention is to repeat the
awful events of 7 October. So I agree entirely with both his
understanding and prediction of the situation.
(Bath) (LD)
I and many of my constituents continue to be upset beyond words
by the human suffering we have seen on television screens since 7
October. So often, I am being asked to take sides, but, in the
words of Jonathan Freedland:
“This is not a football match… Two peoples with deep wounds,
howling with grief, fated to share the same small piece of
land.”
Does the Minister agree that the side we need to be on is the
side of all those who are working towards a lasting peace?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Lady is entirely correct in her last point, and indeed
in all that she said. She says that her constituents are upset
beyond measure. One thing we can all agree, wherever we stand on
this issue, is that everyone is upset beyond measure. Therefore,
she is right to say that we must focus, whenever the opportunity
presents itself, on the political track and all the opportunities
that could then open up.
Sir (Northampton North) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his long-standing work in this
area. The shadow Minister spoke of fuel and water. On 7 October,
amid Hamas’s atrocities in Israel the terrorist
group made a concerted effort to destroy water and electricity
lines from Israel into Gaza.
Apparently, Israel has reopened two
of the three water lines into Gaza, but the third remains heavily
damaged, as do the power lines. Does he share my concern that
Hamas deliberately seek to worsen the humanitarian conditions
inside Gaza?
Mr Mitchell
I thank my right hon. and learned Friend for his comments, and of
course he is right. Once again, I draw his attention to the words
of the former Foreign Secretary , who so accurately, so soon
after these awful events took place, predicted the reasons why
Hamas were doing this and why, ultimately, they must fail.
Sir (East Ham) (Lab)
I welcome the Minister’s statement and the response from my hon.
Friend the Member for Wigan (). Will the Minister distance
himself from the description of the Palestine marchers as
“hate-filled”? The constituents I have been talking to are
decent, law-abiding families who have no truck at all with Hamas
but who are horrified by the scenes they are seeing, of children
killed and maimed, day after day on their screens and are wanting
this to stop, as we all must. Will he distance himself from that
description?
Mr Mitchell
The rights of protest are much cherished in this country, and, of
course, they are enshrined in law and we respect that. As for
what the Home Secretary said, we are all responsible for what we
say and she said it in the way that she did.
(Gloucester) (Con)
First, let me thank the Minister, all his team and the United
Nations agencies that are involved—Martin Griffiths and the
people from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees who are on the ground, who obviously are in
mourning for their colleagues—for all their incredible work to
help with humanitarian aid. Does my right hon. Friend agree that
this is, in a sense, an intractable problem, because the nature
of Hamas and how they are based in Gaza makes it impossible
for Israel to defend itself
effectively without, surely, breaking the rules of engagement and
causing casualties, which everyone here finds very hard to
accept? Does he therefore accept that the smidgeon of hope in all
of this is that this disaster, which could repeat itself time and
again, must be the catalyst for those in the region, above all,
to lead on finding a proper political solution?
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend is entirely correct. I hope that he will agree
with my Oslo analogy and think that should give us all some hope
at a very dark time. He is entirely right in what I take him to
have meant, which is that Hamas can play no part in the future of
Gaza after what has happened. I thank him very much for his
comments about UN agencies and officials. There is no doubt that
the UN, particularly UNRWA and the Office of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, is working incredibly hard. I last
spoke to Martin Griffiths just after 2 o’clock this morning, and
I can tell the House that every sinew is being bent within the UN
in trying to end an horrific state of affairs, which has been so
accurately set out across the House.
(Slough) (Lab)
Heartbreakingly, the number of children killed in Gaza in just
four weeks of Israeli bombardment has surpassed the number killed
in global conflict zones for every year since 2019, so we must
urgently work for peace and a two-state solution, however
difficult that may seem, and urgently deal with the humanitarian
crisis engulfing Gaza. It pains me to see that the death toll in
the occupied west bank, which I recently visited, is rapidly
rising, including as a result of an Israeli airstrike on a mosque
and more deadly settler violence. Those victims are certainly not
Hamas. So will the Minister join me in condemning settler
violence and the extremist rhetoric, and will he ensure that
those perpetrators are held to account?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to ask us to condemn
settler violence. The Prime Minister did that yesterday when he
addressed the House, I did it in my statement, and it has been
done from the Opposition Front Bench as well. The hon. Gentleman
is also right to say that violence in the west bank has reached
unprecedented levels. We are doing everything we can to urge
restraint and ensure that it stops. In what he said about
children, he speaks for the whole House. The analysis of the
problem is the easy part, but we are all working for the
resolution.
(Worcester) (Con)
On children, I welcome both statements made from the Front
Benches: my right hon. Friend the Minister is right to focus on
every civilian life that has been lost in this conflict, and the
hon. Member for Wigan was right to highlight the importance of
children in this. I remind the House that the full wording of the
Balfour declaration included:
“it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may
prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish
communities in Palestine”.
Children’s rights should be at the heart of that, so may I urge
my right hon. Friend to double down on the push for humanitarian
pauses and for humanitarian access, to make sure that we can
protect children’s rights to life and to education?
Mr Mitchell
I thank my hon. Friend for his comments, with which I agree
entirely, and for his recollection of the Balfour
declaration.
(Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
(PC)
I am told by the Muslim Council of Wales that seven families in
Wales have lost immediate family members in Palestine, with some
having lost children and grandchildren. We fear for the Israeli
hostages in Gaza, among them British citizens. More will lose
their lives, which is why Plaid Cymru has tabled a motion in the
Senedd calling on the international community to seek an
immediate ceasefire. In advocating for humanitarian pauses, does
the Minister recognise that innocent non-combatants in Gaza will
again be killed when pauses cease and that the only way to
achieve lasting peace is a ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
The right hon. Lady will have heard what I and the Opposition
Front Bench spokesperson, the hon. Member for Wigan (), have said about ceasefires,
but the hearts of the whole House will go out to the seven
families—and maybe others too, in Wales—who have lost family
members.
(Harrow East) (Con)
The atrocities on 7 October were well planned and well resourced.
Indeed, Hamas, the terrorist group, stockpiled in advance,
knowing what the response would be from Israel
Equally, Hamas have been caught out putting injured terrorists
through the Rafah crossing into Egypt. What is my right hon.
Friend’s assessment of what Hamas should do now to release the
resources they have stockpiled, so that there can be a wider
humanitarian effort than there is currently?
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend is right and knows a great deal about these
issues. He is right about the atrocities committed on 7 October
by Hamas. This was a pogrom. It was the worst loss of Jewish life
at any time in one day since the Holocaust and since 1945. One
reason why the Rafah crossing is so difficult is precisely
because of the circumstances that he described, with the misuse
of the rules by injured Hamas terrorists.
(Nottingham East) (Lab)
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, more than 10,000 people
have been killed by Israeli forces in the past month—that is one
of every 200 residents of Gaza. That does not include everyone
who may have died due to lack of clean water or the collapse of
the healthcare system after fuel was cut off. How many more
people must die before the Government join the UN
Secretary-General, the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, Amnesty
International, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Oxfam
and the UN General Assembly in calling for an immediate
ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
Once again, the hon. Lady will have heard the views of
spokespeople on both Front Benches on the issue of a ceasefire,
but her comments underline the importance now of trying to
achieve these humanitarian pauses, so that help and succour can
be brought to those who are suffering.
(Chelmsford) (Con)
The loss of life in Israel and Palestine is
beyond horror and everybody wants it to stop, but the statement
from Hamas that they will not stop until the people
of Israel are annihilated
is deeply chilling. In his statement, the Minister mentioned
radicalisation and the concern that the greater the loss of
civilian life, the greater the risk of radicalisation, so I thank
him for saying clearly that Israel must take
precautions to minimise civilian casualties. I would add
that Israel needs to be seen
to be taking such precautions. We continue to call for pauses in
fighting to let aid in and people out. What assessment has he
made of the likelihood of such pauses happening?
Mr Mitchell
I do not think I can give a running commentary on that, except to
say that the sinews of everybody are bent towards achieving it.
My right hon. Friend makes a good point that, from all this
death, destruction and killing, we must guard against the
radicalisation of an entire new generation of young people. As
President Biden said, it is very important that the lessons of
9/11 are properly learned.
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
Those of us who support a ceasefire are getting the overwhelming
message from both the Government and the Labour Front Bench
spokespeople that somehow calling for a ceasefire is naive. Does
the Minister think that the Pope is naive in calling for a
ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
I have set out very clearly our understanding, our logic and the
reasons why we and Opposition Front Benchers have reached the
conclusions we have on a ceasefire. I hope, at the very least,
the hon. Gentleman will reflect on those.
(Burnley) (Con)
Getting aid into Gaza is vital and I welcome the Minister’s
statement about looking for additional border crossings. What is
more important is making sure that once aid is in Gaza, it gets
to the people who need it most. Reports suggest that Hamas are
holding more than 200,000 gallons of fuel that could be used for
generators, to power hospitals or for ambulances. What is the
Government’s assessment of Hamas holding fuel? What steps are
being taken to ensure that once aid gets into Gaza, it does not
end up in the hands of Hamas?
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend is right that we know Hamas have hoarded fuel in
Gaza, although I cannot give him a statistic on that. The
statistic he gave to the House may or may not be right, but we
know that they do have a stockpiling of fuel. In terms of the way
in which support will be used once we get the pauses and are able
to get help and humanitarian supplies into Gaza, I can tell my
hon. Friend that we are very careful indeed. We never work
through the Palestinian Authority or Hamas in terms of direct
support; we only go through trusted organisations. As I set out
in my statement, we are very careful indeed to ensure that the
aid gets to those who need it and gets there directly.
(Bradford West) (Lab)
The United Nations Secretary-General has said:
“Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children.”
More than 4,000 children have been killed since the start of the
conflict. Every day we see footage of heartbreaking stories; I
watched a small girl being pulled out of the rubble, asking her
uncle if she was dead and whether he was taking her to a
graveyard. Another video showed a girl of barely five stuck under
a collapsed building, praying her final prayers in preparation
for her death. At their age, children should be asking whether
they are going to a playground, to buy an ice cream or any of
those usual things, not whether they are going to a graveyard or
preparing for their death. Children outside Al-Shifa Hospital
yesterday felt they needed to do a press conference to call on
the world to let them live. Minister, when will the UK ramp up
its effort to end the bloodshed and ensure that Palestinian
children just have the right to live?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Lady speaks with the greatest possible eloquence. She
speaks for the whole House in saying that what is happening to
children in Gaza appals us all. I just ask her to consider the
wider context, accept that the Government understand and agree
with her analysis of the plight of children in Gaza, and will do
everything within the wider context to try to bring that to an
end.
(Meon Valley) (Con)
I refer Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial
Interests concerning my visit to Israel and
Palestine in May this year.
I received a report from a surgeon at a hospital in Gaza today.
He says the situation is beyond catastrophic and that he is
seeing “horrific” injuries, the majority of which are to
children. He says:
“The type of injuries we are seeing is not something a human mind
can accept or tolerate.”
He goes on to say that people who are being pulled alive from the
rubble
“are scratched and bleeding and full of flies.”
A lot of his report is very graphic, including the fact that many
children have lost limbs and no one knows who many of them are.
The UK is the penholder for the protection of civilians in
conflict at the UN Security Council. Can we ensure that all
health facilities, including the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza,
which was at threat of being bombed, be protected from
attack?
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend is entirely right to refer to the UK’s role at the
United Nations. We take those responsibilities extremely
seriously and our brilliant team who work at the UN are doing
everything to justify the fact that we hold that particular pen,
among any others. My hon. Friend will have heard what the Prime
Minister said about the treatment of hospitals, and we will
continue to do everything we can to protect them.
(Exeter) (Lab)
May I welcome the balance and tone of the Minister’s statement?
When the Government make representations to the Israeli
Government about the increase in settler violence in the west
bank, what do the Israeli Government say in return?
Mr Mitchell
These are ongoing discussions and they are made at many levels.
The Prime Minister has spoken repeatedly to Prime Minister
Netanyahu, and my colleague Lord Ahmad has been consistently in
the region, as has the Foreign Secretary, so we are having those
discussions at every level. The right hon. Gentleman may rest
assured that what the Prime Minister has said, and what I have
said from the Dispatch Box, is the thrust of those discussions,
and we are doing everything we possibly can to drive forward what
both he and I believe is the right answer to this.
(Cities of London and
Westminster) (Con)
It is incredibly difficult to hear the testimonies of the
survivors of the 7 October Hamas atrocities. It is equally
difficult to see the media reports of what is happening in Gaza,
particularly in relation to the children who are being affected.
It is so important that we do all we can to bring this conflict
to an end for the security and the futures of children in
both Israel and Gaza. I
welcome the extra humanitarian aid that is going into Gaza from
the UK Government. Can the Minister please assure us that, once
this conflict is over and even bigger humanitarian aid is
required, the Government will do all they can to help rebuild
Gaza?
Mr Mitchell
On my hon. Friend’s final point, there is no doubt that when
peace comes and the international community is able to engage in
a political process, the rebuilding of Gaza will certainly be a
part of that. To her point about the awful testimonies of
survivors from the 7 October attacks and the dreadful scenes that
we see on our television thanks to the brave reportage of many
journalists, there is no doubt that it is extremely difficult to
watch, which is why the Government, along with our allies and
others who are deeply concerned about this, are doing all we can
to ensure that we bring this to a close as soon as we can.
(Islington North) (Ind)
There are 1,400 dead in Israel and 10,000 dead
in Gaza; there is increased military activity on the west bank,
increased settler violence, and now more and more children dying
as this conflict goes on in Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu is now
promising that Israel will control the
Gaza strip into the indefinite future. Is it not time that the
British Government joined all those other sensible and reasonable
voices around the world that are doing everything they can to
demand and get a ceasefire to prevent any further loss of life
and to begin to work out a peaceful future for all the people in
the region?
Mr Mitchell
The right hon. Gentleman will have heard what his successor, the
leader of the Labour party, has said on the subject of a
ceasefire, and we agree with him. None the less, the right hon.
Gentleman describes an extraordinarily difficult situation. He
also talks about security on the west bank, the key purpose of
which for Israel is to ensure
that the rockets cannot come over the border again. I think we
need to see security in that context, rather than in the ebb and
flow of the debate that is going on at the moment.
(Hyndburn) (Con)
We know that escalation is a real risk. With reports that Israeli
forces have started raiding refugee camps on the west bank, we
know that there is real risk to innocent Palestinians. There are
also reports of Israeli settlers on the west bank becoming
increasingly hostile in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Will the Minister please explain what specific steps he is taking
to de-escalate the situation?
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend makes the point that escalation is not just about
the region, but about the west bank as well. That is why the
Prime Minister has condemned settler violence and why we continue
to make representations to the Israeli Government in that
respect.
(Weaver Vale) (Lab)
On the question of humanitarian pauses, can the Minister tell us
his assessment of how long they will last, how people will be
protected, and how those pauses will be managed? He referred
briefly to those points in his statement.
Mr Mitchell
The aim of humanitarian pauses is not only to get humanitarian
relief and supplies into Gaza, but to ensure that there is a safe
structure, as I said earlier in my statement, to deliver
humanitarian supplies, and one that does not put people in
jeopardy. Therefore, a humanitarian pause should not be seen as
one on its own; we are looking at negotiating a series of
humanitarian pauses, so that there can be a proper supply basis
for the people we are trying to help.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
Many constituents have raised concerns with me about the
humanitarian crisis faced by Palestinians in Gaza. Indeed, a
march was held in Aylesbury on Saturday, which, I am pleased to
say, passed off peacefully. We know that Hamas hide behind human
shields—including, shockingly, even in hospitals. How is my right
hon. Friend’s Department working with partners on the ground in
Gaza to ensure that aid gets to those who need it, including in
hospitals, despite the barbarity and the barriers put in their
way by Hamas?
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend is quite right to raise the importance of ensuring
that Hamas brutality does not fetter our ability to get aid
through to those who really need it. I can give him the
undertaking that that is precisely what we are trying to do.
(Sunderland Central)
(Lab)
Against the backdrop of a child dying every 10 minutes in Gaza
and evidence that water entering as aid through the Rafah
crossing is not being allowed into northern Gaza, will the
Minister confirm that the Government support the independence of
the International Criminal Court and recognise its jurisdiction
to address the conduct of all parties in the conflict in
Gaza?
Mr Mitchell
I thank the hon. Lady for her comments about the importance of
prioritising children. In respect of the International Criminal
Court, she will know that the Government are a very strong
supporter of it and the role that it plays in international
affairs.
(South Derbyshire)
(Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement; I agreed with
every single word of it. In my 13 years as an MP I have never
received such detailed and harrowing letters from my Jewish and
Muslim communities in South Derbyshire. Whatever else happens,
please can we make sure that, looking to the future, we work on
the two-state solution and put in place a safe place for all
Gazans and Jewish families going forward?
Mr Mitchell
My hon. Friend accurately summarises the role and the importance
that the Government attach to progressing the political process,
and I thank her for her comments in that respect.
(Brighton, Pavilion)
(Green)
Will the Minister tell us whether his discussions with charities
and non-governmental organisations this morning included aid
agencies such as Oxfam, Christian Aid or Save the Children? They
say that only a full ceasefire can deliver the conditions to get
lifesaving food, fuel, water and medicine into Gaza, not least
because critical infrastructure, such as roads and hospitals,
needs to be mended first and that cannot happen if there are only
humanitarian pauses. I know that he has said a lot this afternoon
about the difference between pauses and a ceasefire, but he has
not addressed explicitly the advice that we are hearing from
humanitarian experts on the ground who say that only a full
ceasefire will allow them to get that kind of aid fast enough to
the people who need it.
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Lady is correct about the importance of tackling the
deficiencies of infrastructure, both in the area around Rafah and
more extensively than that. She asks about my contact with NGOs
and charities. As she said, I had a meeting this morning that was
chaired by the British Overseas NGOs for Development—BOND— which
is the collective of charities. We operate through trusted
partners, such as UNICEF, UNRWA and UNHCHR, and we are in
continual contact with them. The point she makes about
infrastructure is one that we are very much aware of and will do
everything we can to assist with.
(Halesowen and Rowley Regis)
(Con)
The Minister is absolutely right to say that Hamas made a massive
strategic error when they attacked innocent Israeli people on 7
October, and they are paying a heavy price with the destruction
of their terror network in the Gaza strip. However, does he agree
that the bigger price that they should pay is the moderate voices
on both sides coming together to re-establish the framework, as
he has referred to, that was in place under Oslo, going towards a
two-state solution between a viable Israeli state and a viable
Palestinian state, and getting the terror network out of the
way?
Mr Mitchell
Not just in Britain but all around the Arab world and the United
Nations, people are very much focused on how to get a political
track going again when these dreadful events draw to a close. As
I said earlier, I think the one opportunity that may arise from
these dreadful events is an effort to rebuild the political
process to deliver an answer on the way we go forward
politically—my hon. Friend mentioned the two-state solution,
which is the bedrock of British Government policy.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
I spoke to a constituent last night who is studying in York. He
has lost 42 members of his wider family, and his immediate family
remain in the line of rockets in Gaza. What steps are the
Government taking to ensure that there can be family reunions,
and that refugees can come from the Gaza strip to the UK?
Mr Mitchell
We are working very hard to ensure that families are not broken
up through the Rafah crossing. We have been moderately successful
at that so far. I am sure that everything that can be done will
be done. If any of the hon. Lady’s constituents are caught up in
that way, I hope that she will let us know in the crisis centre
through the MP hotline.
(Bolton North East) (Con)
I put on record my thanks to the Bolton Council of Mosques, which
covers 34 mosques in my constituency and has 60,000 members
across the town. My constituents have felt very aggrieved over
the last month. We have seen statements coming out
of Israel about having
“security responsibility” for Gaza for an “indefinite period”.
The Minister mentioned that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has
said that there shall be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza after
the war. What is our Government’s position on that in the long
term? My constituents through the Bolton Council of Mosques have
called repeatedly for a ceasefire. I will meet them again
tomorrow night. From our Government’s perspective, what criteria
would have to be met in order for us to call for a ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
I know that my hon. Friend has been deeply engaged in
representing his constituents, and I am aware of the
representations that he has made. I hope that he will explain to
his constituents tomorrow night the reasons why a ceasefire is
not something that either the Government or the Opposition are
calling for. I hope that he will be able to explain that we are
doing everything that we can both to construct a scenario where
there can be a number of pauses and to ensure that humanitarian
support can be safely delivered within Gaza.
(Manchester, Gorton) (Lab)
The International Committee of the Red Cross has reported that as
Gaza loses power, hospitals lose power, putting newborns in
incubators and elderly patients who are on oxygen at risk.
Without electricity, hospitals turn into morgues. Does the
Minister not think that at this point bringing an immediate stop
to the violence is the only way to stop hospitals turning into
morgues and the whole of Gaza turning into a graveyard?
Mr Mitchell
We are extremely concerned about the position in hospitals and
the effects that the hon. Gentleman has described, but I can only
repeat what I have already said to the House about how we are
doing everything that we can to try to bring these circumstances
to a close.
(Penrith and The Border)
(Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for his statement, and for his, the
Prime Minister’s and the Foreign Secretary’s ongoing diplomatic
efforts. Will my right hon. Friend join me in paying tribute to
the brave humanitarian workers who are doing so much in Gaza, and
can he reassure the House again that the UK Government are
straining every sinew to get as much humanitarian aid into Gaza
as quickly as possible?
Mr Mitchell
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for once again reiterating the
strong support across the House for the brave humanitarian
workers and what they are doing in this terrible conflict, and
for expressing his abhorrence that unarmed people who are trying
only to benefit their fellow humans should be murdered in this
way. He can rest assured that we will do everything that we can
to ensure that they are protected.
(Brentford and Isleworth)
(Lab)
Hounslow’s Muslim leaders told me and my hon. Friend the Member
for Feltham and Heston () yesterday evening of the
horror felt in their communities at the atrocities taking place
in Gaza, the need to get aid and support in, and their wish for
long-term peace. Now that Israel is threatening
to occupy Gaza permanently, will the UK Government support the US
Secretary of State Blinken’s insistence that there should be no
Israeli occupation of Gaza after this war?
Mr Mitchell
I am grateful to the hon. Lady for telling the House about her
meetings with the Muslim leaders in her constituency. I hope that
she will tell them about the position of the House, the aid and
support that we are trying to get in through the pauses, and the
support for the political process that she mentioned. The British
Government agree with what Secretary Blinken said, but are
absolutely clear that the perpetrators of the dreadful events on
7 October—Hamas—must never be allowed to do it again.
(Peterborough) (Con)
My constituent Momon Zomlot is from Gaza. I met him when he was
working as a chef at a local pizza restaurant. He is an
incredibly nice and genuine guy, but this morning he sent me a
text informing me that his family home was destroyed three days
ago and he has heard nothing from his family since. How much
longer do we have to wait until this suffering ends and
humanitarian aid can reach people such as my constituent’s
family?
Mr Mitchell
I cannot tell my hon. Friend the answer to that, but I can tell
him that we are doing everything that we can to ensure that the
period is as short as possible.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. I indicated that I would endeavour to accommodate
everybody. That remains the case. The Minister has indicated to
me that he has effectively cleared his diary to accommodate this
statement, because he realises how important it is. But there is
a time when everything has to come to an end, because a large
number of Members, particularly on the Opposition Benches, wish
to speak in the King’s Speech debate and we want to get those
people in as well. I will try to terminate this statement by 2.30
pm, bearing in mind that some 38 Members still wish to ask a
question.
(Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
(Lab)
We are grateful to the Minister for his tireless work, but by his
own analysis the aid is not getting through. I commend to him the
motion passed by Birmingham City Council last night that calls
for an immediate ceasefire binding on all sides, because it is
the best way to save the hostages, get aid through, and let the
war crimes inspectors do their work. I support that position. I
do not think that he does, but could he tell us under what
conditions the British Government would shift from a policy of
supporting humanitarian pauses to a strategy of supporting an
immediate ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will explain to our friends
on Birmingham City Council the reason the Government and indeed
his own Front Bench take the view that they do about a ceasefire,
but he is right that the critical thing at the moment is to focus
on the humanitarian pauses, which are designed to get food to
those who need it. Nothing is more important in this context than
that.
(Glasgow North) (SNP)
The Minister said in response to my hon. Friend the Member for
Glasgow South West () that he wants the
Government of Israel to comply with
international human rights law and that he encourages them to do
so, but he did not answer my hon. Friend’s question: have the
Government made an assessment of whether or not the Government
of Israel are complying
with international human rights law?
Mr Mitchell
It is not for the Government to make such an assessment; it is
for lawyers and a court to do so. The critical thing is that
Britain makes it clear that all countries must abide by
international humanitarian law and the rules of war.
(Bethnal Green and Bow)
(Lab)
Over 10,000 people have already been killed in Gaza in the past
month—more than were killed in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.
There are grave concerns that starvation is being used as a
weapon of war against 400,000 civilians in the north of Gaza.
That is illegal under international law. The UN Secretary-General
and a number of others have talked about the need for a
humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and a halt to the spiral of
escalation already taking place, from the west bank to Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq and Yemen. I recognise the position across the two
main parties on a ceasefire, but 120 countries in the UN General
Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an immediate
humanitarian truce. That has not been achieved either. The
Government talk about humanitarian pauses, yet our Government
have abstained on UN resolutions. What are the Government doing
to use their influence at the international level to stop the
bombardment, so that at the very least aid can get in?
Mr Mitchell
As I set out in my statement, we are engaged on all those matters
and doing everything we can, through Britain’s very strong
diplomatic network, which means that we are engaged and connected
to almost all the relevant parties in this matter, and that will
continue.
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
Order. I do have to call upon hon. Members to try to keep their
questions brief. I want to accommodate everybody, but at the
present rate of lengthy questions it is simply not going to be
possible.
(Belfast South) (SDLP)
I thank the Minister for his thoughtful answers. In 1919, seeing
children from the defeated Austro-Hungarian empire starving,
Eglantyne Jebb established Save the Children. Many people said to
her, “How can you help enemy children?” and one of her
supporters, the great Irish humanitarian George Bernard Shaw,
said:
“I have no enemies under the age of seven.”
Almost half of Palestinians are children, many thousands of whom
have been killed, maimed and orphaned. So have many Israeli
children, including one dual Irish citizen who is believed to be
among the hostages in Gaza. Does the Minister agree with UNICEF’s
regional director, Adele Khodr, who says that the situation in
Gaza is
“a growing stain on our collective conscience”?
Mr Mitchell
The head of UNICEF, who made those comments, is right to focus on
what is happening in Gaza and to express her abhorrence of what
is taking place. On the hon. Lady’s citation of the brilliant
work that Save the Children does, I have been intimately
connected with Save the Children for the last 20 years and we
honour both its work and the success it so often achieves.
(Walthamstow) (Lab/Co-op)
Everybody wants the bloodshed to stop; the question is how to
secure that ambition in a lasting way, not whether we should seek
it. For my constituents, that matters not just as a policy for
the UK Government, but for the people on the ground, who are our
neighbours and directly affected. May I have a few precious
moments of the Minister’s time to help to offer them just a crumb
of comfort? For 30 days they have not heard anything. Both Oded
and Ibrahim are at direct risk of harm due to Hamas and the
Israeli missiles. Oded, the father of one of my constituents, was
kidnapped by Hamas, and the Prime Minister made a personal pledge
to assist him. Ibrahim is at risk because we do not yet know why
he and his family have not been able to cross the border at
Rafah. May I seek an urgent meeting with the Minister to look
specifically at those two cases and to find those rays of light
we all desperately want for my constituents?
Mr Mitchell
In response to the hon. Lady’s request for a meeting, she will
know that the crisis centre in the Foreign Office, which is full
of both willing volunteers and experts in these consular matters,
will be the right place to take this issue. However, I will
certainly meet her immediately after this statement.
(Feltham and Heston)
(Lab/Co-op)
A doctor sent a message last night from Gaza saying, “We have
worms coming out of wounds even after we do surgeries. Nothing is
clean. Nothing is sterile.” It is clear that we need an urgent
cessation of hostilities on all sides on humanitarian grounds,
because the situation in Gaza is now unspeakable. At the same
time, as well as condemning settler violence in the west bank, we
need more action to bring an end to it. May I bring the Minister
back to a question of accountability under international law,
following the question from my hon. Friend the Member for
Sunderland Central ()? Will the Minister confirm
that the Government support the independence of the International
Criminal Court and recognise its jurisdiction to address the
conduct of all parties in Gaza and the west bank?
Mr Mitchell
We are very strong supporters of the International Criminal
Court, and that has been true under Governments from both the
main parties. On the hon. Lady’s important point that we need to
see an end to settler violence, the Government entirely
agree.
(Halifax) (Lab)
My hon. Friend the Member for Bradford West () set out in the most powerful way
why the deaths and trauma experienced by innocent children in
Gaza are utterly intolerable. The supply of basic utilities such
as water, medicine, electricity and fuel needed to operate the
hospitals in Gaza should not be blocked. It is unacceptable that
siege conditions are still being imposed on Gaza by Israel Can the
Minister confirm that he agrees, and what has he done to
communicate that to Israel as a matter of
urgency?
Mr Mitchell
The Government at every level are engaged in those discussions
with the state of Israel The hon. Lady
lists a number of humanitarian supplies that need to get through,
and Britain is at the forefront of the international community in
doing everything we can to ensure both that they do get through,
and that there are sufficient supplies in the region.
(Hayes and Harlington)
(Lab)
I will not take up time now, but we will forward the report from
Doctor Hassan at the Indonesian hospital in Gaza regarding the
treatment of children with no hands and stage 4 burns. However,
we must remember that 30 of the hostages are children too. I
believe in an immediate ceasefire, but I am willing to clutch at
straws as well. Have the Government verified in any form with
Qatar the reports that Hamas might be willing to agree a release
of civilian hostages for a five-day ceasefire, and have the
Government engaged at all with the proposal by the families of
hostages for an “all for all” release of hostages for prisoners
of Israel
Mr Mitchell
The right hon. Gentleman is a very senior member of this House
and he knows that I cannot give him a running commentary on
hostage negotiations. However, I can confirm to him that Qatar
has been exceedingly helpful and that releasing the hostages
remains at the very top of our list of priorities in this
dreadful situation.
(Birmingham, Selly Oak)
(Lab)
I hate to disagree with my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes
and Harlington (), but I am not sure we can
exactly trade hostages in these conditions. However, does
Minister agree that the immediate release of the hostages would
go a long way towards enabling the conditions for the kind of
humanitarian pause or pauses that we need if we are to deliver
aid in the manner and on the scale that we all think is
necessary?
Mr Mitchell
Yes.
(Hemsworth) (Lab)
As a person of Jewish heritage, I was mortified and horrified by
what happened on 7 October, but I did not for one second believe
that any Palestinian child anywhere was responsible. Yet the
Secretary-General of the United Nations has said that Gaza is “a
graveyard for children” and that the Israelis are committing war
crimes, and has called for humanitarian peace. We helped to
create the United Nations. We are permanent members. Is it not
time we got behind the Secretary-General, who speaks with great
moral authority on these matters, and ourselves called for a
ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
The British role at the United Nations is second to none in
trying to stop what is happening in Israel and in
Palestine. The point I would make to the hon. Gentleman is that
Hamas knew exactly what they were unleashing on that dreadful day
of 7 October, and the blame for what has happened should be
allocated precisely where it rests.
(Coventry South) (Lab)
Gaza used to be described as a “prison camp”—that is what Prime
Minister called it in 2010. This week
the United Nations Secretary-General called it “a graveyard for
children”. More than 10,000 Palestinians have been slaughtered in
Israel’s assault, nearly half of them children. It would take
nearly six hours to read the names and ages of every child killed
so far. Yet that horror has been given the green light by this
Government. Today I tabled an amendment to the Humble Address
calling for an immediate ceasefire, a move backed by 76% of the
British public. Will the Government finally do what is right and
demand an immediate ceasefire to end the bloodshed?
Mr Mitchell
While the hon. Lady is eloquent on the effects, she is not so
eloquent, in my opinion, on the causes. In respect of the
amendment that she has tabled, of course that is a matter for the
House, but it will not be supported by the Government, nor by
those on her own Front Bench.
(Glasgow Central)
(SNP)
Almost 1,200 constituents have been in touch with my office
demanding a ceasefire now. Oxfam has said that humanitarian
pauses and safe zones are simply not enough to address this
humanitarian crisis, and it is far from alone in saying so. Can
the Minister explain to my constituents and to Oxfam why he will
not support a ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
I will not try your patience, Mr Deputy Speaker, by repeating
what I have already said. The hon. Lady says that pauses are not
enough, but there have not yet been any pauses. That is why we
are working so hard to try to achieve them.
(Edmonton) (Lab/Co-op)
I thank the Minister for his statement, but how will he ensure
that humanitarian aid, which he has assured the House will get to
those in Gaza, will actually get there? We are getting reports
that there are hospitals in the north that have only 24 hours’
worth of fuel. We are seeing and hearing horrific reports of
children dying, and of people trying to work in those horrific
circumstances. What are we doing to help those people? It is too
much. We are crying; we are upset. It is going on and on. We have
statements to the House, but they are not enough. People need to
know that we care and that we will make a difference.
Mr Mitchell
I do not think there is any doubt that, across the House, we care
deeply about what is happening there. The hon. Lady asks how we
will achieve access for humanitarian aid, and rightly makes the
point that it is not getting through in anything like sufficient
quantity at the moment. That is why we are doing everything we
can, across the international community and the humanitarian
sector, to ensure that the pauses are implemented and take place
as soon as possible.
(Leeds North West)
(Lab/Co-op)
We are seeing a humanitarian catastrophe of unfathomable depths
unfolding among the world’s youngest population. Last week, the
UN General Assembly voted on a resolution calling for the
“immediate, full, sustained, safe, and unhindered humanitarian
access”
for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, as well as an
“immediate and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a
cessation of hostilities”.
The United Kingdom abstained. The resolution was supported by
France, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, New Zealand and 115 other
nations. Why did the UK abstain? If a similar resolution comes
again, will the UK vote for it? Does the UK support Pedro
Sanchez, who put a motion before the European Council calling for
a peace conference after the conflict has finished? Does the UK
join that call?
Mr Mitchell
If another motion comes before the United Nations, Britain will
of course look at the terms of that motion and discuss it
together with our allies and like-minded countries who, like the
hon. Gentleman, want to see an end to these dreadful
circumstances. In respect of the last motion and Britain’s
decision not to oppose it but to abstain, he will have seen the
reasons set out by the Government. For any new motion put before
the United Nations, we will vote in the way that we think is best
in these dreadful circumstances.
(Eltham) (Lab)
The Secretary of State has said that he is discussing with
partners how to increase the amount of aid going into Gaza, and
that humanitarian pauses must be part of that, but how long must
a humanitarian pause be to live up to that name? Infrastructure
needs to be repaired, and an enormous amount of aid needs to be
shifted, in a very short time. Is there consensus with those
partners on how long a humanitarian pause has to be?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, but these matters are the
subject of intensive negotiations at this time.
(Luton North) (Lab)
We know that multiple respected humanitarian organisations on the
ground in Gaza and Israel have called for
a ceasefire of all parties. We know that, historically,
ceasefires break down and are maintained again only with
international support and pressure, so how many horrors and
deaths do the Government believe we must see before that pressure
comes from the international community? If, as he said, the
Minister believes that multiple humanitarian pauses are
achievable on all sides, when will that hope be transferred to a
permanent, lasting ceasefire?
Mr Mitchell
Although it is not the policy of the Government or Opposition
Front Benchers to call for a ceasefire, we are calling for
comprehensive humanitarian pauses to enable us to reach civilians
in the desperate circumstances that the hon. Lady describes.
(North Down) (Alliance)
I concur with the calls for a ceasefire. Since 7 October, an
estimated 39 journalists have been killed in the conflict. That
makes it the most deadly month for journalists in almost 30
years. What more can the Government do to stress to the Israeli
Government the importance of safety for journalists and their
safe access? Accurate reporting on this is crucial.
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Gentleman is entirely right to raise the point about the
number of journalists who have sadly lost their lives. Many very
brave journalists are in the area trying to ensure that we get
accurate reporting of what is going on there—they risk their
lives in that respect. When my right hon. Friend the Chancellor
of the Exchequer was Foreign Secretary, he specifically
implemented a number of changes to try to defend journalists who
were caught up in those sorts of difficulties, and the British
Government strongly support the work that he set in train.
(Oldham West and Royton)
(Lab/Co-op)
In the scale of human suffering in the 7 October attack and the
offensive in Gaza, we are drawn to that of the children who have
been killed or injured, and who continue to suffer. The shadow
Foreign Secretary, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham
(Mr Lammy), has asked the Government to provide for a
co-ordinator for aid to be appointed. Will the Government meet
that request?
Mr Mitchell
We are certainly considering that as the situation evolves, but
for the moment, there are many specialists fulfilling a series of
different purposes and different work in connection with the
international situation.
(Lewisham East) (Lab)
The human suffering in Gaza is unimaginable, and a humanitarian
pause for aid is desperately needed to save lives. The UK has
played a unique historical role, so what steps are the Government
taking to support UNICEF and others in protecting the million
innocent children in Gaza?
Mr Mitchell
UNICEF is one of the most highly respected United Nations
organisations and agencies. Britain has consistently been one of
the most generous and strong supporters of UNICEF, precisely
because of the effectiveness of that organisation. The hon. Lady
may rest assured that we will work closely with UNICEF throughout
this period, and that we profoundly respect the abilities and
reach that UNICEF brings to its work.
(Hammersmith) (Lab)
Yesterday a mother and five children—all UK citizens in my
constituency—finally made it out of Gaza, having experienced
sights that no child should witness, literally walking past
hundreds of dismembered and decaying bodies to reach safety. If
war crimes are committed, they should be investigated. Will the
Minister answer the question that he has deftly avoided so far:
is there a role for the International Criminal Court in
investigating the conduct of all parties to this terrible
war?
Mr Mitchell
I do not think it fair to say that I was avoiding the question. I
was making the point, which I know the hon. Gentleman will
understand, that Britain was one of the first countries to
support the ICC—it was not supported by Russia, China or America,
as I recall—so Britain’s support and enthusiasm for the work of
the ICC should not be in doubt.
(Putney) (Lab)
It is heartbreaking to hear of the fear and terror that caused
1.5 million people in Gaza to be displaced. Does the Minister
agree that, for the 1.5 million Palestinians who had to flee, the
right to return to their homes is vital for long-term peace,
especially given the history in the region? Has the Minister
raised that in his diplomatic meetings, and what response has he
received?
Mr Mitchell
We all hope that, eventually, the position in Gaza will be
radically different from what it is today, and that the two-state
solution will be implemented. The two-state solution means
that Israel is able to live
behind secure borders and the state of Palestine emerges, so the
answer to the hon. Lady’s question is a fairly qualified yes.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister for his statement and for his clear
commitment to looking out for the innocent in Israel and Gaza and to
finding solutions—it is clear that that is what he wants to do.
It is understood that the Egyptian Government have opened the
Rafah crossing for dual nationals to vacate the Gaza strip, and
many have already taken advantage of that. What steps will the
Government take to ensure that British dual nationals are
guaranteed safe passage via the crossing to get back to the UK
for a much-loved reunion with their families?
Mr Mitchell
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments—he always speaks for
the House on humanitarian matters. More than 150 British
nationals have now come out, and all our country-based staff and
dependents were out by last night. There are 32 British nationals
who are waiting for clearance, and 48 British nationals who have
been cleared and who were waiting to come across when this
statement started. That is the current position, and I hope that
the hon. Gentleman will use the MPs’ hotline to the crisis centre
for any of his constituents who are caught up in this, so that we
can give him the most accurate information available.
(Luton South) (Lab)
The charity Medical Aid for Palestinians has warned that people
are struggling to find food and water and meet their basic needs,
and that even the minimal humanitarian aid that has been allowed
in is unable to be distributed fully, due to the damaged roads
and lack of fuel for trucks. The north of Gaza is basically
receiving no aid at all, so can the Minister set out how the
Government are working with international partners to ensure that
urgent fuel and humanitarian supplies are not only getting into
Gaza, but throughout it, to help those in desperate need?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Lady rightly draws a distinction between getting
humanitarian supplies into Gaza and being able to distribute them
safely. These are very challenging circumstances, for the reasons
I have set out to the House, but she may rest assured that the
international humanitarian community is doing everything it can
to address them.
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
The World Health Organisation estimates that there are 50,000
pregnant women in Gaza, with an average of 180 giving birth every
day without access to obstetric services and, of course, babies
being born into a war zone. Can the Minister outline what work is
going on to make sure that humanitarian aid is getting to those
pregnant women, new mums and babies?
Mr Mitchell
The right hon. Lady describes an extremely difficult situation,
one that has been ventilated in the press, where we have seen
that women are having to give birth in the most hideous of
circumstances. What I can say to her is that if we are able to
get aid in, we have specific humanitarian aid and support for
mothers of babies—for mothers who have just given birth—and when
we are able to get access in that respect, we will do everything
we can to meet that need.
(Twickenham) (LD)
Thousands of children are dead. Many more are traumatised,
millions are being starved, and as we have heard, the UN has
described Gaza as becoming a “graveyard for children”. We all
agree that Israel has the right to
respond to the senseless and brutal attack of 7 October, but many
of us, including hundreds of my constituents, believe that this
response is utterly disproportionate. With the UN, the WHO, and
the lead prosecutor of the ICC warning of breaches of
international law, will the Minister explain to the House what it
will take for his Government to stand up to Netanyahu and his
extremist Ministers and make clear that this abject suffering
simply cannot, and must not, continue?
Mr Mitchell
Because we are strongly supportive of Israel’s right to
self-defence—we have been absolutely clear about that throughout
these dreadful circumstances, as have the Opposition—we are able
to have clear and firm discussions with the Prime Minister
of Israel and that is
what we do.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
I abhor the loss of all innocent civilian life. Dead innocent
Israeli men, women and children and dead innocent Palestinian
men, women and children have this in common: they are innocent
civilians, and they are dead. This vicious cycle of killing must
stop. As we are here to talk about the humanitarian situation, I
remind the House that the Prime Minister told us before
Prorogation that he would use British logistical capacity to get
hundreds of aid lorries a day—rather than the tens that were
crossing at the time—across the Rafah crossing. By when do we
expect that target to be met?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Gentleman speaks for everyone in the House when he
abhors the loss of life among innocent civilians. On the
humanitarian situation, he has referred to what the Prime
Minister said before Prorogation. What the Prime Minister said is
absolutely correct: Britain has not only been supplying
humanitarian provisions into el-Arish so that they can go through
Rafah when circumstances permit but has provided heavy lift
materials so that others, as well as us, can move those supplies
towards Rafah when they are able to get through. What the Prime
Minister told the House is what everyone, not just Britain, is
trying to achieve.
(Wirral West) (Lab)
I thank the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary for the work
they have done to help facilitate the safe departure from Gaza of
my constituent, Mr Abdel Hammad. Mr Hammad was in Gaza to perform
kidney transplant operations as a charity volunteer with the
Liverpool International Transplant Initiative. I pay tribute to
his many years of humanitarian work in this field.
As we know, there have been thousands of deaths in this terrible
conflict, so will the Minister urgently press all parties to
agree to an immediate de-escalation and cessation of hostilities,
and will he do all he can to bring about a peaceful resolution to
this devastating conflict?
Mr Mitchell
In respect of the hon. Lady’s last point, I am not sure I can add
to what I have already told the House, but I am very relieved to
hear about her constituent. I will pass on her thanks to both the
Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary.
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
The only route to long-term peace is a two-state solution. The
Minister has said in response to other questions that Gaza will
look radically different at the end of this conflict, but can he
commit to making representations to his Israeli counterparts that
all those displaced in Gaza will be able to return?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. Lady rightly identifies the importance of getting back
to the two-state solution, which is the policy of the British
Government and has repeatedly been the policy of British
Governments. She may rest assured that Britain, along with its
allies, is absolutely focused on the wellbeing of the people of
Gaza and their future. It is very important to make clear that
Hamas is not the Palestinians.
(Leeds East) (Lab)
To tackle this humanitarian crisis, we need to strain every sinew
for a ceasefire. The UN Secretary-General says that we need a
ceasefire, one binding on all sides. The UN high commissioner for
human rights also says that we need a ceasefire; so, too, do the
heads of the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian
Affairs, the UN Children’s Fund, UN Women, the UN World Food
Programme and the World Health Organisation. In fact, the heads
of all major United Nations agencies are calling for a
humanitarian ceasefire. Why do this Government think that they
know better than the world’s leading humanitarian agencies?
Mr Mitchell
Again, I am not sure that I can add to the very comprehensive and
full answer that I have already given the House on that point,
but let me make clear that it is not the policy of either the
Government or the Opposition to call for a ceasefire, for the
reasons I have set out. However, all of us across the House are
engaged in trying to bring these dreadful events to a close.
(Washington and Sunderland
West) (Lab)
I agree that the need for humanitarian pauses is urgent. With
that in mind, what discussions are the Government having with
regional partners, especially Egypt, to ensure that the Rafah
crossing will allow for many more people to leave Gaza much more
quickly? Further to that, can the Minister assure the House that
when it is safe to do so, those people will be able to return
quickly and safely?
Mr Mitchell
I thank the hon. Lady for her support for humanitarian pauses.
She can rest assured that we are having detailed discussions with
all our regional partners. In respect of Egypt, which she
mentioned specifically, I had a discussion yesterday at around
midday with the Egyptian ambassador.
(Paisley and Renfrewshire
North) (SNP)
In depriving the civilian population of Gaza of water, food,
medicine and power, combined with the forced relocation of
civilians, not respecting the sanctity of hospitals—indeed,
bombing or threatening to bomb hospitals—and targeting civilian
infrastructure including refugee camps, Israel has broken
articles 3, 18, 23, 33 and 47 of the Geneva conventions. What
exactly do the Israel Defence Forces
have to do before this Government call out Israel for its war
crimes?
Mr Mitchell
I would not accept the hon. Gentleman’s analysis, in his
question, of the Geneva convention, but when he talks about the
need for water, food and medicines, he may rest assured that
Britain is focused very much on those supplies in its
humanitarian efforts.
(Liverpool, Wavertree)
(Lab)
In 2014, a six-hour pause made way for a three-day pause before a
ceasefire. This House must be on the right side of history, and I
absolutely respect the Minister for the time and the tone of the
statement today. However, does he agree that, for lasting peace,
we must inevitably reach the point of a ceasefire, even after
humanitarian pauses? Will he assure me that he will press for
that with our international partners to ensure that we have
lasting peace in the region?
Mr Mitchell
In spite of the hon. Lady’s very generous comments, I cannot
agree with her, for the reasons I have set out, about calling now
for a ceasefire, but I hope she will feel that the intention of
the Government, along with our partners, in respect of
humanitarian pauses is moving in the right direction.
(Ellesmere Port and Neston)
(Lab)
I understand the need for Israel to act to free
the hostages and deal with Hamas, although the images we see and
the number of children who have been killed can sometimes seem a
very distant way away from those objectives. On the latter of
those aims, in relation to Hamas’s capacity, I would like to know
how the UK Government will judge whether that objective has been
reached and whether we have reached a point when we say
to Israel that that is
enough?
Mr Mitchell
I recognise that the hon. Member is being supportive in saying
that the purpose of the Israeli Government is to free the
hostages and deal with Hamas. I am sure this will not be the only
occasion when I come to the House to give a statement about both
the humanitarian position and also the position throughout
Gaza.
(Edinburgh South West)
(SNP)
When so many children are being horribly maimed and killed, it
really is not naive to call for a ceasefire. That is why so many
international voices are calling for a ceasefire, including my
friends at the International Bar Association’s Human Rights
Institute. They have done that against the background of an
assessment that the rules of international humanitarian law have
not only been broken by Hamas, but may be being broken by the
Israeli Government.
I was very disappointed to hear that the UK Government have not
carried out an assessment of whether international humanitarian
law is being obeyed on the ground in Gaza. This matters terribly
to my constituents, many hundreds of whom have written to me
about it. May I suggest to the Minister that if the UK Government
fulfilled their obligation to carry out an assessment of whether
international humanitarian law is being obeyed on the ground in
Gaza, that might change both the UK Government’s mind and the
mind of the official Opposition, and make them support a
ceasefire now?
Mr Mitchell
The hon. and learned Lady is a distinguished lawyer, and she will
know that the judgment she is asking the Government to make is
not a judgment for Ministers and politicians, but a judgment for
lawyers in respect of international law, so I fear that I am not
in a position, as a Minister, to give a direct answer to her
question.
(Vauxhall)
(Lab/Co-op)
I want to thank the Minister for the way he has conducted himself
this afternoon, listening to the wide range of concerns from
right hon. and hon. Members. My prayers and thoughts remain with
the hostages, who have been kidnapped for over 30 days now. They
have to be released safely and urgently.
I have received so many emails from constituents who are really
concerned about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza. I
recently met Islamic Relief UK, which is based in my Vauxhall
constituency, and it shared with me the harrowing story of one of
its aid workers on the ground:
“None of us has proper food, we’re struggling to find water and
we have no electricity. Humanitarian assistance is not being
allowed into Gaza and I fear people will starve here.”
That is a quote from an Islamic Relief staff member in Gaza who
fled south with his family. These calls are real, and these calls
are being made now. People are in desperate need of help. People
are facing a major crisis. What more will the Minister and this
Government do to make sure they are speaking to their Israeli
counterparts to ensure that that pause is real and that it comes
now, so we can get in urgent assistance and do not see more
innocent civilians dying?
Mr Mitchell
I think the hon. Lady speaks for the House about the importance
of achieving the humanitarian pauses, which have been greatly
mentioned over the last hour and a half. I say to her that I know
those at Islamic Relief extremely well, and I have visited them
in her constituency. They do fantastic work, and we all honour
and respect them for that. In her question, she talked about the
importance of releasing the hostages and addressing humanitarian
concern. Those two things are at the heart of what the House has
been discussing today, and I thank her for ending this session on
a constructive note.
Extracts from Lords
debate on the King's Speech (day 2)
(CB):...There is a campaign
against Hillary Clinton as chancellor of Queen’s because she is
seen to be a supporter of Israel ...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office () (Con):...Moving on
to more topical matters such as the Israel and
Hamas conflict, I particularly thank the noble Lord,
, and the noble Lord, Lord
Paddick—whom I congratulate on his new role with the Metropolitan
Police—for their acute perspective on the difficulties of
policing marches of this type. I restate that the police in this
country are operationally independent and obviously should remain
so. However, a number of very unfortunate issues have arisen, in
particular around anti-Semitism and, perhaps to
a slightly lesser extent but no less importantly, Islamophobia.
Anti-Semitism has absolutely no place in our
society. That is why we are committed to tackling it in all its
forms. The police should take the toughest possible action
against any form of anti-Semitism. It is
important that the police and the Jewish
community continue to work together to ensure security
and promote community cohesion. Saying that does not infringe
their operational independence. They must also, as I have said,
police Islamophobia as and where they find it.
I have said on a number of occasions from this Dispatch Box that
any arrests are very much an operational matter for the police.
There have been about 30 arrests in London at protests related to
the Israel-Hamas conflict, including racially
aggravated public order offences. The Metropolitan Police Service
has also made arrests not directly linked to protest activity and
there have been arrests elsewhere in the country. It would be
unwise to say too much more than that, but once again I thank
both noble Lords with a policing background for their acute
perspective on this.
