Lots of constituents have contacted me about the desperate situation in Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Israel.

The continuing killing of large numbers of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians by Israel, and the missile attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and Iran which have also claimed lives, is evidence of the appalling humanitarian disaster that has happened following Hamas’ attack on Israel last October and Israel’s response to defend itself, including through the ground offensive in Gaza and now the fighting in Lebanon.

During a recent visit to Israel the Foreign Secretary David Lammy rightly called, once again, for an immediate ceasefire. This is the only way to bring this disaster to an end and avoid an all-out conflict in the Middle East.

Referring to the wider conflict since the attack by Hamas on 7th October, he also said that he was thinking of:

“The Israeli people still living under rocket fire, not only from Hamas but from other hostile actors explicitly dedicated to Israel’s annihilation, and fighting an enemy in Hamas whose appalling tactics endanger countless civilian lives. And the innocent Palestinians, with tens of thousands killed in the fighting, their numbers growing by the day, including distressing numbers of women and children. Many mothers are so malnourished that they cannot produce milk for their babies, and families are struggling to keep their children alive—disease and famine loom ever larger”.

On what is happening in the occupied territories, including the treatment of detainees, the Foreign Secretary said:

“The escalation we are now seeing in the west bank, as well as in Gaza, is deeply worrying, with many communities facing settler violence amid an ongoing occupation, and so many on either side of this terrible conflict convinced that the world does not grasp the reality of Israel’s predicament, or the depth of Palestinian suffering…..

We are deeply concerned about the ongoing IDF military operation in the occupied west bank and the attacks from Palestinian militants. We recognise, of course, Israel’s need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried about the methods that Israel has employed and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in particular. It is in no one’s interest for further conflict and instability to spread to the west bank. We condemn the settler expansion—particularly the record levels this year—and the increase in settler violence. I condemn the language that has been used by Ministers in the Israeli Government—Smotrich and Ben Gvir—in relation to that in particular. It is entirely unacceptable language, and should be condemned by the Israeli Government as a whole…

This Government are also deeply concerned by credible claims of mistreatment of detainees, which the International Committee of the Red Cross cannot investigate after being denied access to places of detention. Both my predecessor and all our major allies have repeatedly and forcefully raised these concerns with the Israeli Government. Regrettably, those concerns have not been addressed satisfactorily.”

On the restrictions on allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, David Lammy has described the humanitarian situation as “simply unacceptable”, and I am deeply concerned about the severe impact of Israeli strikes on both civilians and on infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, which are facing critical shortages in medical supplies, food, and water. Israel must fully comply with international humanitarian law.

The UK, together with France and Algeria, called an emergency UN Security Council to address this dire situation at which the UK Ambassador to the UN said clearly that northern Gaza must not be cut off from the south. Palestinian civilians must be permitted to return and there should be no reduction in the territory of Gaza, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.

I am also worried about the attempts to undermine the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) by the Israeli Government. It acts as the backbone to humanitarian response in Gaza and should be able to continue its lifesaving work, rather than having to postpone the rollout of the polio vaccine campaign in northern Gaza.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said that “The UK is gravely concerned at the Unrwa bills that Israel’s Knesset has passed. This legislation risks making Unrwa‘s essential work for Palestinians impossible, jeopardising the entire international humanitarian response in Gaza and delivery of essential health and education services in the West Bank.”

In response to this devastating crisis, the UK Government has announced funding for UK-Med’s efforts to provide medical treatment in Gaza, for UNICEF’s work to support vulnerable families in Gaza and for Egyptian health facilities treating medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza. The Government is also matching donations to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal.

The Government’s has also sanctioned extremist settlers, restored funding to UNRWA and suspended export licences that the UK Government assessed might be used by the Israeli Defence Forces for military operations in Gaza. This does not change the Government’s support for Israel’s national security.

More broadly, the Palestinian and Israeli people alike have a right to self-determination, safety, and security, and we must all work together to provide a pathway towards a two-state solution. The urgent task now is to actually get a ceasefire agreed so as to bring an end to the terrible loss of life and enable the remaining Israeli hostages to be released. There have been several international attempts to get a ceasefire – now backed by the UN Security Council – but one won’t happen unless all the parties are willing to stop fighting. We all need to urge both sides to support a ceasefire immediately as the quickest way to achieve this.

We also need a peace process in which both sides show the political courage required to bring this long-running conflict to an end, and which will need to address the question of the occupied territories and settlements.

Thank you for contacting me about this important issue.

Best wishes

Rt Hon Hilary Benn
MP for Leeds South
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland