Select committee: International Development Committee
Recommendation 18
Second Report - Humanitarian situation in Gaza
Published 1 Mar 2024
Paragraph 65
Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
International Development Committee Humanitarian situation in Gaza All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The UK Government must listen to the people of Gaza and include them in the plans for reconstruction. Allowing them to rebuild their businesses alongside their homes will allow much-needed economic activity to restart, help to restore the dignity of the Gazan population and rebuild their lives. The UK Government should consider all the tools at its disposal, such as the alternative financing mechanisms set out in the recent White Paper, to support Gazan businesses to support themselves. Where infrastructure grants are given, Gazan businesses must be the first considered for contracts with the UK Government looking at providing bank guarantees alongside.
From: International Development Committee, Second Report - Humanitarian situation in Gaza (HC 110), paragraph 65, 1 March 2024
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 8 May 2024 (deadline 1 May 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government marks most of the Committee's recommendations as "Agree", marks three as "Partially Agree", and says it is "focussed on practical solutions that save lives".
- On land crossings and aid access, it marks the recommendation "Agree" and says it "continue[s] to press Israel" for further changes, welcoming Israel's undertaking to raise aid flows to 500 trucks a day and wanting Israel to fulfil it "as quickly as possible".
- On a reconstruction conference, it marks the recommendation "Partially Agree": it agrees the international community must consider recovery now, but is "not at this stage ready to commit to the UK hosting an international conference".
- On UNRWA, it marks the recommendation "Agree" but makes no commitment to resume funding, saying it "will set out our position on future funding" after "careful consideration" of the final report, UNRWA's response and the ongoing OIOS investigation.
- On international humanitarian law, it "Partially Agree[s]", stating that grave concerns on humanitarian access are "not sufficient to undermine our judgement that Israel is committed to comply with IHL in general".