To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received from (a) Israel, (b) Egypt, (c) the Palestinian Authority and (d) Hamas on the rebuilding of homes destroyed in Gaza during the conflict of January 2014.
Answered on
11 September 2015
While we do not speak to Hamas, we have had discussions with the other parties pressing for urgent measures to relieve the humanitarian suffering of those in Gaza, including the rebuilding of homes destroyed in the Gaza conflict of 2014. The UK regularly urges the Israeli authorities to intensify measures to support Gaza’s reconstruction and economic development. We are also urging Egypt, which has played an important role in encouraging the international community to support the reconstruction of Gaza, to show maximum flexibility in opening the Rafah crossing. We receive regular representations from the Palestinian Authority on rebuilding of homes in Gaza, and have urged the Palestinian Authority to take steps to return to Gaza.
The UK is also supporting the temporary Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism to facilitate the import of construction materials into Gaza. The Department for International Development is providing £0.7 million to the Materials Monitoring Unit which oversees and monitors the import, storage, supply and use of construction materials into Gaza.