To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that where buildings are reconstructed in Gaza following Israeli military action they are better protected in the event of any future military action.

At the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo last week, the UK committed £20 million to support the disposal of unexploded ordnance and rubble clearance and to provide longer-term assistance through the Palestinian Authority and UN agencies for recovery and reconstruction. This announcement is in addition to an existing funding of more than £17m in emergency assistance for those displaced by the conflict. Our support for the World Food Programme appeal has, for instance, enabled the provision of food vouchers to 300,000 people for one month. Strenuous efforts must be made to avoid a repetition of the conflict. We are working closely with international partners to break the cycle of violence through negotiation of a sustainable political settlement and the lifting of economic restrictions, which would allow peace, prosperity and security to follow.