Question
As winter bites and the humanitarian situation worsens, will the Secretary of State commit to supplying food aid to Gaza, at least to last year’s levels? Will he use his welcome new sanctions regulations, laid earlier this month, to sanction those Israeli figures blocking aid from getting into Gaza?
Answer
The issue of health and humanitarian access in Gaza is essential, and my hon. Friend is absolutely right that the blocking of aid is absolutely outrageous. I do not speculate on the sanctions regime, but it is important that we have it. We want to ensure that we unblock the aid.80% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (30/100)
This reply is mostly hedged. It condemns the blocking of aid and says the Government wants to unblock it, but it does not commit to whether food aid will be supplied at or above last year's levels, which was the first part of the question. On sanctions against the named figures, it says only that it does not speculate on the sanctions regime, without explaining why the regulations are not being used. The person who asked would likely need to follow up to get specific commitments.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Government commit to supplying food aid to Gaza at least at last year's levels, given the worsening humanitarian situation as winter approaches? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply says humanitarian access is essential and that the Government wants to unblock aid, but it never addresses whether food aid will be supplied at or above last year's levels, so the quantity commitment asked for is missing. |
| Will the Government use its new sanctions regulations, laid earlier this month, to sanction Israeli figures it considers to be blocking aid from entering Gaza? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply condemns the blocking of aid and says the Government wants to unblock it, but its only direct statement on the sanctions question is "I do not speculate on the sanctions regime", a refusal that gives no reason for not using the regulations against named figures. |