Written question asked by Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated) on Tuesday, 24 April 2018, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 May 2018. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Wednesday, 9 May 2018 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Gaza: Israel

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take to protect Palestinian children from the use of live ammunition by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Answer: The Minister for the Middle East raised the issue of the use of force with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 19 April and our Ambassador to Israel discussed this issue with the Israeli authorities on 24 April. It is plain that Hamas and their operatives have been exploiting these protests for their own benefit , and we have been clear that Israel has the right to secure itself against Hamas and other terrorist groups I also raised this issue during my visit to Israel on 11 April with the Israeli Minister for Regional Co-operation and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We continue to urge Israel to show restraint and the Palestinians to ensure the protests are peaceful. There is a need to establish the facts, including why such a volume of live fire has been used and what role Hamas has played in the violence. We also reiterate the importance in particular of protecting minors. We welcome Israel’s commitment to investigate the conduct of operations and urge that its finding be made public, and if any wrongdoing is found, those responsible be held to account.

Secondary information