MORE than 100 MPs have signed a letter calling on the UK Government to resume funding to UNRWA amid concerns of an impending famine in Gaza.
MPs and peers across the political spectrum wrote to Foreign Secretary David Cameron in a letter published by former Conservative minister David Jones.
The letter, sent on Thursday, calls on the UK Government to “resume full funding to UNRWA”, after it withdrew following claims from Israel that 12 employees were involved in the October 7 attack.
It also called on the Government to “demand that Israel must not use starvation as a weapon of war, in line with international humanitarian law”.
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The letter has been signed by MPs including Hannah Bardell, Joanna Cherry, Jeremy Corbyn, Drew Hendry, Christine Jardine, Kenny MacAskill, Angus MacNeil, John Nicolson, Jess Phillips, Anum Qaisar, Tommy Sheppard, Alison Thewliss and Philippa Whitford.
It welcomed the UN Security Council voting to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, following a US abstention and the UK voting in favour.
The letter also quoted comments made previously by Cameron, who said in February that Israel would be in breach of humanitarian law if it denied Gaza food and water.
Cameron (below) has since written to Alicia Kearns MP confirming that aid is not reaching Gaza due to “arbitrary denials by the Israeli government”.
The World Health Organisation previously said that famine in Gaza is “imminent”, as more than one million people are expected to face “catastrophic” hunger unless significantly more food is allowed to enter Gaza.
The latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership show that between 12.4% and 16.5% of children under five are acutely malnourished in Gaza – prior to October 7, this was believed to be at 0.8%.
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It is believed that around 70% of the population in northern Gaza are experiencing food shortages.
Read the full letter below.
Dear Foreign Secretary,
We write as a group of cross-party MPs and Peers concerned about the dire situation facing Palestinians in Gaza and also to welcome your letter to Alicia Kearns MP, in which you recognise that aid is not reaching Gaza due to "arbitrary denials by the Israeli government". We welcome that the UN security council voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with the UK voting in favour.
It is alarming that Israel has delayed UK aid into Gaza by delaying permissions to cross the border and by preventing the necessary staff from obtaining visas. Further UK pressure on the Israeli government to let aid in, open the Port of Ashdod, and 'turn the taps back on' in Gaza is vital.
Gaza is on the brink of famine, as made clear in the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report of 18 March 2024. The situation is already so dire that the definition of famine may have already been met in northern Gaza.
To date, 27 children in Gaza and 3 adults have been starved or dehydrated to death, largely as a result of this Israeli policy. In northern Gaza, 70% of the population are already experiencing the gravest degree of food shortages, where people have resorted to eating bird seed, animal feed, and grass. Additionally, people have resorted to digging down into the soil to access water pipes for drinking and washing.
On 13 February 2024, you stated that Israel would be in breach of international humanitarian law if it denied Gaza food and water, something that you have now confirmed to be the case. Given that Israel refuses to change its approach and that the humanitarian crisis shows no signs of easing, the UK needs to demonstrate that there will be diplomatic consequences for Israel if it continues to block full access for humanitarian aid and as you stated - breach international law.
We would therefore propose the Government take the following steps:
- Restore full funding to UNRWA, joining the European Union, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. This will allow UNRWA, the largest humanitarian agency in Gaza, to continue its lifesaving work which is more vital now than ever, particularly in light of the context of famine and starvation.
- Demand that Israel must not use starvation as a weapon of war, in line with international humanitarian law, something that the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, has publicly called for.
- Set a deadline within weeks, preferably days, for Israel to abide by the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice, ordered on 26 January, including facilitating full access for humanitarian aid, or else face serious consequences for the UK-Israel relationship.
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