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<p>The UK remains deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza and the report in question’s
prediction that Gaza could become uninhabitable by 2020. UK aid has supported economic
development, provision of basic services, and enabled reconstruction through support
to the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism. The Minister of State for the Middle East (the
Rt Hon Andrew Murrison) visited Gaza on 28 May 2019 and saw the extent of this first
hand.</p><p>However, as the report makes clear, aid alone cannot solve the problems
in Gaza. Improvements in infrastructure, employment, energy and water are essential
to improve living conditions. The Government will continue to urge all the parties
to take the necessary practical steps to improve conditions. We will continue to press
for a sustainable political solution for Gaza and to address the underlying cause
of humanitarian strife in Gaza by more than doubling the amount of UK aid spent on
economic development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to around £38 million
over the next five years (2018-2023). This will include support to addressing the
water and electricity crisis and seek to address movement and access restrictions.</p>
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