In Detail, In Brief: The Crisis in Gaza
- Bristol South
- Jun 13
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
At Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday 4 June the Prime Minister reconfirmed his view that recent actions taken by Israel are intolerable. What we are all witnessing Gaza horrifies us all. After a glimmer of hope earlier this year when a ceasefire agreement was reached, this tragic conflict has now resumed bringing with it untold suffering. The people of Gaza are living under renewed bombardment, and multiple hostages kidnapped in October 2023 are still held by Hamas.
Recent months have seen Israel blocking the entry of meaningful quantities of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israeli Ministers have said that Israel’s decision to hamper the provision of aid is a tool to apply pressure in the conflict. This is a cruel and indefensible course of action which risks starvation in Gaza. I am horrified by reports of civilians being killed as they come to collect aid at the limited distribution points made available. These operations are supposed to be saving lives but are themselves leading to mass casualties. It is deeply disturbing, and the Government has rightly raised this at the UN Security Council.
As Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer MP has stated in the House of Commons, the continued blockade of aid into Gaza is the central question as it relates to saving Palestinian life. While the blockade persists there is nothing that can be done at the scale and in the manner necessary to assure this. With our international partners the UK is taking action to apply diplomatic pressure to the Israeli Government to allow meaningful aid to enter Gaza. The Foreign Secretary spoke with the Israeli Foreign Minister on 22 June raising the humanitarian situation.
On 13 May, the UK convened a meeting of the UN Security Council where UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher spoke so powerfully. The Government has also taken the further step of releasing a joint statement with our allies in Canada and France declaring that:
“We will not stand by while the Netanyahu Government pursues these egregious actions. If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response.”
The UK has since broken off negotiations seeking a free trade agreement with Israel and the Prime Minister said at PMQs that further action in coordination with our allies, including further sanctions, were being considered.
It was announced on Tuesday 10 June, that Israeli Finance Minister Smotrich and National Security Minister Ben-Gvir are both now subject to such sanctions. They cannot travel to the United Kingdom, and they will have any assets in the UK frozen.
The Government’s recent actions on Gaza follow on from the decision in September 2024 on arms exports to Israel. Following a rigorous process in line with the UK’s legal obligations, it concluded there is a clear risk that military exports to Israel, where used for military operations in Gaza, might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. As a result, it suspended approximately 30 licences for exports to Israel for items which could be used in the current conflict.
The Government is also committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a key step in the path to a two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. I believe that Palestinians must be given a credible route to Palestinian statehood, and that this is their inalienable right. The Government will continue working with partners to support a path to long-term peace and stability with a two-state solution including a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.
As part of the Government’s commitment to the long-term viability of a Palestinian state, in May the UK sanctioned several individuals and organisations involved in escalating a pernicious cycle of violence in the West Bank. The Foreign Secretary has also called out the Israeli government’s consistent failure to stop this aggression.
Those sanctioned, including prominent settler leader Daniella Weiss have supported, incited, and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank. May’s sanctions are in addition to sanctions applied to settler groups in October 2024.
Many people have raised with me concern and debate around the use of the term ‘genocide’ as it relates to this conflict. There is an ongoing case at the International Court of Justice on this question. The Government supports the ICJ and its independence, we support a set of provisional measures in this case that the ICJ have issued. Israel has an obligation to implement them.
It is the UK Government’s long-standing position that any formal determination as to whether genocide has occurred is a matter for a competent court, not for Governments or non-judicial bodies. The UK is fully committed to upholding our responsibilities under domestic and international law, and we have at all times acted in a manner consistent with our legal obligations, including under the genocide convention.
I want to see all parties return to ceasefire talks urgently, to implement the ceasefire agreement in full and work towards a permanent peace. Negotiations offer the best hope of ending the agony of those waiting for loved ones who are held captive and alleviating the suffering of civilians. Palestinians and Israelis deserve to live in peace, prosperity, and security.
The Labour Government will continue to work to exert the greatest possible influence to improve the situation on the ground for ordinary civilians caught in this conflict.
*This article was updated on 8 July to reflect developments at aid distribution centres in Gaza
