Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Gaza: Humanitarian Situation

Tuesday 2 December 2025 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Joe Morris asked the Foreign Secretary about the prevention of UK-funded tents from entering Gaza and was assured that efforts are being made to increase humanitarian aid.
  • Gareth Thomas highlighted that over 700,000 children in Gaza are living in tents and are at high risk of preventable diseases due to malnutrition and poor health conditions.
  • The Foreign Secretary acknowledged the need for more humanitarian aid in Gaza, emphasizing the importance of essential support for basic needs such as shelter, healthcare, and food.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Joe Morris Lab Hexham
Foreign Affairs
Context

Concerns about delays in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, including reports of tents being prevented from entering the territory.

Question

I thank the Foreign Secretary for her response. I am very concerned about recent reports that over 1,000 tents that were consigned were prevented from entering Gaza. Can she assure me that we are doing whatever we can to get this aid from the UK—tents to provide shelter as winter approaches—through the border to those who need it the most?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Yvette Cooper)

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. We are continuing to press to get increased humanitarian aid in. The level of aid is increasing, and as we have seen, we have been able to get the UK-funded tents into Gaza. However, I have seen some of the warehouses in Amman that still hold UK-funded aid—wheat that could feed hundreds of thousands of people—that we need to get into Gaza, which is why we need all the crossings opened.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific issue about preventing tents from entering was not directly addressed; focus was on overall aid and crossing issues.

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Q2 Gareth Thomas Labour (Co-op) Harrow West
NHS Foreign Affairs
Context

Alarming reports about the living conditions of children in Gaza, including malnutrition and disease risks. The Trump plan aimed for a minimum number of trucks with humanitarian aid to enter Gaza daily.

Question

More than two thirds of Gaza’s children—700,000—are living in tents, and are at high risk of preventable disease. Growing numbers are suffering malnutrition, diarrhoea and pneumonia. The Trump plan called for a minimum of 600 trucks of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza daily, but nothing like that number is yet getting in, so will my right hon. Friend step up the Government’s efforts to secure sustained access to Gaza for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and other critical UN humanitarian agencies?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (Yvette Cooper)

We desperately need to get the humanitarian aid into Gaza. My hon. Friend is right that this provision was part of the 20-point peace plan, and it has widespread support, but it covers just essentials to meet basic humanitarian needs. Shelter, support and healthcare are still needed for families in Gaza. We continue to press not just for the crossings to be reopened, but for the restrictions on aid to be lifted, so that we can get in place the shelter kits, equipment and healthcare support that families need.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific target of 600 trucks was acknowledged but not fully addressed with a concrete plan or timeline.

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