Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Dr Andrew Murrison, Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office: We continually monitor the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We are concerned by the high levels of poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity, as well as the fragile health system, shrinking Gazan economy and the lack of access to consistent supplies of electricity.

DFID recently announced an aid package of £2 million to the International Committee for the Red Cross to support delivery of medicines, equipment and rehabilitation services. The UK’s new economic development programme aims to help the economy in Gaza and the West Bank by increasing trade and creating jobs. The UK has also made a commitment to UNRWA of up to £80m over the next two years to help provide health services and education to Palestinian refugees living across the Middle East. The UK is committed to alleviating the humanitarian situation in the OPTs and continues to urge the parties to prioritise progress towards reaching a durable solution.

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