Humanitarian situation in Gaza
[Last updated 12/08/25]
I know that many people in our constituency are horrified by the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. The scenes there are devastating.
The Israeli aid system is inhumane, ineffective and dangerous. We must do everything possible to end the suffering. Children are starving, and I am appalled by Israel’s drip feeding of aid. The UN must be allowed to send humanitarian assistance into Gaza on a continuing basis to stop starvation.
I support the additional measures that the UK Government has announced to alleviate the humanitarian situation, including air drops of humanitarian supplies and packages to bolster vital medical care.
Many people are in urgent need of medical care in Gaza, and I am aware of UN reports that all hospitals there have been damaged or partly destroyed. Our government has been accelerating efforts to medically evacuate critically ill and injured children, working with the World Health Organization and others to get children to the UK for much-needed treatment. There is also UK funding to support the educational and psychosocial needs of children and young people in Gaza and the West Bank.
I strongly oppose the expansion of Israeli operations in Gaza. Palestinian territory must not be reduced or subjected to demographic change in the conduct of this war. There must be no forced displacement of people from Gaza.
I continue to call for an immediate ceasefire to stop the slaughter. The UN must be allowed to send humanitarian assistance into Gaza on a continuing basis to prevent starvation. Hamas must release the hostages. I support the US, Qatari and Egyptian governments in their attempts to bring about a ceasefire.
We need a comprehensive plan to end this misery and to reach a long-term settlement. The UK Government is working with international partners to develop a credible peace plan for the next phase in Gaza. This must establish transitional governance and security arrangements and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid at the necessary scale. Israeli forces must withdraw from Gaza and Hamas must be removed from leadership as key steps towards a negotiated two-state solution.
There is no better vision for the region’s future than two states. Israelis living within secure borders, free from the threat of terrorism, and Palestinians in their own state, free from occupation. The decades-long conflict cannot be managed or contained and must now be resolved.
We have long been committed to recognising a Palestinian state, and I support recognition as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution. The UK will recognise the state of Palestine in September before the UN General Assembly (UNGA) unless the Israeli Government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza and commits to a long-term sustainable peace. This must include the restarting of UN aid to Gaza, agreeing a ceasefire, and making clear there will be no annexations in the West Bank.
Our demands on Hamas are unwavering. As a terrorist organisation, Hamas can play no role in the future of Gaza and must immediately release all the hostages, sign up to an immediate ceasefire, accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza, and commit to disarmament. The UK Government will make an assessment ahead of the UNGA on how far the parties have met these steps.
The Government is determined to protect the viability of the two-state solution, but recognition by itself will not change the situation on the ground. That is why the Government has taken immediate steps to alleviate the humanitarian situation, including air drops of humanitarian supplies and getting injured children out of Gaza and into British hospitals, alongside pressing strongly for UN deliveries of humanitarian assistance to resume.
I want to see an end to this conflict and the horrifying humanitarian situation on the ground. I am continuing to monitor developments closely.