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Middle East

My Lords, some equipment, some food and some medicines have gone through. I heard an estimate of the number of lorries that have passed through Israel and into Gaza, but I do not want to speculate on the number because I am not 100 per cent certain how reliable it is. The situation in Gaza plainly requires much more food, medicines and materials. There are not enough. Unquestionably, there is a humanitarian problem of major dimensions in Gaza. Without anyone pointing fingers, I state that many civilians are under the kind of pressure that most of us would regard as intolerable. This morning, I was able to meet with Jan Egeland, the United Nations commissioner responsible for humanitarian issues. I am quite satisfied in my mind that the problems go well beyond the materials that have been delivered so far—although materials have been delivered. Finally, I turn quickly to evacuation. At the moment, there has been no call for evacuation from Israel. We have evacuated a small number of British nationals across the northern border into Syria and we are bolstering our consular team in Syria on the grounds that we may have a need, not necessarily to evacuate people, but at least to assist them on their way home.