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Written question asked by Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated) on Monday, 3 April 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 19 April 2017. It was answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns (Conservative) on Thursday, 20 April 2017 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Gaza: Cancer

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding increasing rates of cancer in Gaza since 2008, and claims by Dr Khalid Thabet, head of the Oncology Department at the Shifa Hospital, that that increase may be linked to Israel's reported use of depleted uranium in 2008.

Answer

While we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we continue to press for measures that will help relieve the humanitarian suffering of those in Gaza.

It is not clear whether Israeli forces have used Depleted Uranium munitions in Gaza. We are conscious that there is some concern about a possible link between the use of Depleted Uranium (DU) ammunition and medical problems such as cancers and birth defects. Environmental monitoring in areas where DU munitions have been used has confirmed the presence of DU at levels far too low to have any detectable health impact. These observations are consistent with the findings of many agencies and with the recent World Health Organisation statement, that, “for the general population, neither civilian nor military use of DU is likely to produce radiation doses significantly above normal background levels”.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL6547
Session
2016-17
Subjects
Armed conflict Cancer Israel Depleted uranium Gaza
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk