I refer the Lord Bishop to the statement I made to the House on 7 January.

I refer the Lord Bishop to the statement I made to the House on 7 January.

Israel must immediately restore the flow of aid into Gaza in line with its obligations under International Humanitarian Law. On 23 April, we issued a statement, together with France and Germany, calling for Israel to immediately restart a rapid and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and expressed our outrage at recent strikes on humanitarian personnel, infrastructure, premises and healthcare facilities. The Minister for the Middle East summoned the Israeli Ambassador on 20 May to make clear that the UK stands firmly against Israel's resumption of military action in Gaza, its wholly inadequate plan for aid delivery and to demand that a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid into Gaza takes place immediately. UK support has meant over 430,000 people have received essential healthcare, more than 640,000 have received food, and 275,000 people have improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services. On 28 April the UK announced a package of support for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including £101 million for humanitarian aid, support for Palestinian economic development, and strengthening Palestinian Authority governance and reform. The Minister for the Middle East spoke with the Israeli Ambassador on 20 May to make clear that the UK stands firmly against Israel's resumption of military action in Gaza, its wholly inadequate plan for aid delivery and to demand that a full and unhindered resumption in the flow of aid into Gaza takes place immediately.

As an occupying power in Gaza, Israel has a responsibility to ensure aid is made available for civilians.

We have set out the action that must be taken to allow more aid into Gaza, including: an immediate humanitarian pause and stop in fighting to get more aid in and the hostages out; increased capacity for aid distribution inside Gaza; increased access for aid through land routes and a fully open Ashdod Port; an expansion of the types of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza, such as shelter and items critical for infrastructure repair; and the provision of electricity, water and telecommunications.

Officials continue to discuss the developing situation in the region with humanitarian partners. In 2020, the UK Government was the first to respond to the outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and allocate £1 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross and, should further requests come in in relation to the Lachin Corridor, we will consider accordingly. At this time we have received no additional requests for funds from humanitarian organisations.

The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. Our opposition to the demolition of Palestinian property and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes is long-standing. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to Palestinians and is harmful to efforts to promote peace. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation.

On 30 October the Foreign Secretary announced £1 million in funding to the ICRC to support their humanitarian efforts in the region. We are working with international partners and NGOs to understand needs in the region and what further support we can provide. The UK Government is supporting the wider international response by providing funding for additional monitoring and analysis of the humanitarian situation through organisations such as the Humanitarian 2 Humanitarian network and supporting additional posts within the UN offices in-country. We continue to urge both sides to ensure the safety and security of all displaced persons, including through recent calls between the Minister for the European Neighbourhood and the Americas and the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers. The UK Government is keeping the situation under close review, coordinating with local and international partners and will continue to explore opportunities to support partners to deliver an effective international response.

Our humanitarian aid operates under International Humanitarian Law and is provided based on need. As such it is available to people of all faiths and of none. All our partners carry out comprehensive vulnerability assessments to ensure aid is reaching those most in need, including those from religious minorities as it is already recognised that religion may be a factor in causing vulnerability. DFID and UK missions overseas have regular conversations with UNHCR on these matters.

The UK monitors levels of humanitarian assistance in Iraq extremely closely. In our work with both the Government of Iraq and international donors, we continue to stress the importance of providing sufficient funding to respond to urgent needs across Iraq. We also work closely with others donors, NGOs, the UN and international financial institutions to ensure that commitments made are effectively spent, and targeted towards those in the greatest need.

Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. With the exception of emergency humanitarian supplies delivered by the UK to Iraq in summer 2014, all of this funding is delivered through UN agencies and NGO partners working in Iraq – including through those who have access to some of the most challenging areas. The Department for International Development does not provide any direct financial support to the Government of Iraq or Kurdistan Regional Government.

The UN has launched an appeal for $861 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs in Iraq in 2016. According to the UN, as of 29 March 2016, the appeal is 15% funded.

Since June 2014, the UK has committed £79.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. The UK is the largest donor to the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund, which allocates funding to the most urgent gaps in the humanitarian response in Iraq. DFID is assessing future support to Iraq through the Bilateral Aid Review process.

The UK’s humanitarian aid package for Jordan is not earmarked to a particular group of refugees, in line with international humanitarian principles of impartiality. Instead, it targets those most vulnerable and in urgent need, irrespective of nationality. In particular, DFID provides direct support to UNHCR’s protection mandate which serves all registered refugees and asylum seekers in Jordan, including the 53,756 registered Iraqis. DFID’s partners in Jordan subscribe to the same principles and operate an open door policy, providing health, protection services and basic needs support to all refugees, whether they be Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni or from elsewhere.

DFID also support projects aimed at improving overall public services used by all people living in Jordan, such as water supply, sanitation services and solid waste management. As well as the fact that Iraqi refugees have been in Jordan longer and are therefore better established, it is important to note that the number being met with humanitarian services is lower due to the fact that there are nearly 12 registered Syrian refugees to every one registered Iraqi refugee.

The UK remains deeply concerned by the humanitarian situation in Gaza. Over 100,000 people were made homeless by the conflict last summer, more than 10,000 of whom are still sheltering in UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) operated Collective Centres.

The UK provided £17million of emergency assistance to support those affected by the conflict last summer and is providing a further £20million of early recovery assistance.