Written question asked by Lisa Nandy (Labour) on Monday, 29 April 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 May 2024. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Friday, 10 May 2024 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Gaza: Orphans

Question: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, whether he has had recent discussions with the UNHCR on children in Gaza who have been orphaned as a result of the Israel-Hamas war in the last six months.

Answer: UN experts assess that 17,000 Palestinian children are believed to have been orphaned since October 2023. UNHCR has no mandate to act in the Occupied Palestinian Territories but the UK is supporting a number of agencies who are targeting funding to respond to the needs of these children. The UK's funding to the Red Cross Movement, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Pooled Fund has supported their work to identify unaccompanied minors, provide care options, and in some cases reunited children with family members.

Secondary information