Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Tunnicliffe (Labour) on Thursday, 26 February 2009.

Gaza

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they and the Middle East Quartet will seek to provide necessary supplies to Gaza by sea; and, if so, whether this will make use of the facilities offered by Cyprus since land-based deliveries have so far proved insufficient.

Answer: The UK Government have investigated the use of sea routes as a way of providing aid to Gaza. Current information suggests that the most effective and sustainable way to ensure those in Gaza get much needed aid supplies is by a sustained relaxation of restrictions on humanitarian and other imports into Gaza via the land crossings in Egypt and Israel. Achieving that remains our focus. The Middle East quartet representative has not discussed the use of sea routes as a way of providing aid to Gaza.

Secondary information