As it reaches 100 days since the escalation of violence across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, Christian Aid warns the UK Government has neglected its legal and moral duty to stop the suffering.
The brutal attack by Hamas killing more than a 1,000 Israelis on October 7th has replaced the region’s simmering tensions with an all-out war in Gaza creating a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza says more than 23,469 Palestinians have been killed and almost 60,000 injured [as of Thursday 11th January]. That translates as more than 1 in 100 of the population of Gaza who have now been killed.
Survivors have been under siege conditions with warnings of famine as desperate shortages of food, water, fuel and medicines are leading to unimaginable suffering.
Julie Mehigan, IoPt Programme Manager at Christian Aid, said:
“We utterly condemn the Hamas attacks. There is no justification for killing Israelis in their homes and taking hostages.
“As people now starve in Gaza, and aerial bombardment continues unabated, hand-wringing statements won’t do.
“The UK Government has failed in its legal and moral duty by not calling for a full and permanent ceasefire. Just last week, this government chose to make it illegal to boycott goods from the illegal Israeli settlements despite settler expansion on the West Bank being one of the biggest obstacles to the UK’s own stated policy of a ‘two-state solution’.
“What’s more, this failure to act is out of step with the British public. Recently published opinion polling revealed almost three quarters of respondents were in favour of an immediate ceasefire.
“Our partners in Gaza are doing the best they can in the most dreadful conditions. But without a permanent ceasefire aid can’t be delivered to help people on the scale required.”
ENDS
Note to editors:
For interviews, contact probertson@christian-aid.org
MAP-Caabu opinion poll details can be found here. The survey conducted on 20-21 December 2023 found that 71% of the British public believe there definitely (48%) or probably (23%) should be an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine. Conversely, only 12% of people felt that there should definitely not (6%) or probably not (6%) be an immediate ceasefire.
The poll also found that only 17% of people approve of the UK government’s handling of the conflict (3% strongly, 14% somewhat) versus 29% disapproving (13% strongly, 16% somewhat). Only 9% of people approved of the Labour Party’s handling of the conflict (2% strongly, 7% somewhat), versus 30% disapproving (14% strongly and 16% somewhat). Neither party currently supports an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
