Select committee: International Development Committee

Recommendation 23

Second Report - Humanitarian situation in Gaza Published 1 Mar 2024 Paragraph 78 Addressed to Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Recommendation (the committee's words)
It is not within this Committee’s remit to consider International Law but, in every conversation, it was raised with us and the arguments made were compelling that breaches of international law are taking place. The UK Government must insist that Israel complies with its obligations under international humanitarian law. It must work with international partners to hold Israel to account in this.

From: International Development Committee, Second Report - Humanitarian situation in Gaza (HC 110), paragraph 78, 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".

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