Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Tunnicliffe (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 June 2009.

Gaza

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will raise the issue of the blockade of Gaza with the Israeli Foreign Minister; and whether they will they request Israel to allow all necessary humanitarian supplies into Gaza.

Answer: The humanitarian situation in Gaza is of serious concern. The UK Government have consistently lobbied for unrestricted access for food and other humanitarian supplies into Gaza. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for International Development, and officials from both the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have raised the need to reduce the constraints on goods entering Gaza with the Israeli Government. More recently, the Foreign Secretary raised the issue of access with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak, during a meeting on 6 May; with the UN Security Council in his speech on 11 May; and with Foreign Minister Lieberman on 13 May during his visit to the UK.

Secondary information