The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Although a ceasefire is formally in place, it has been regularly violated, and it is reported that over 1000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire announcement, with over 70,000 people killed during the entire course of this conflict. The UK Government is clear: the hostilities must end, and the ceasefire must be respected in full.
AID
On aid and the wider humanitarian situation, 1.9 million Palestinians remain displaced, and many more are reliant on aid. With aid volumes still below the required levels, and some aid agencies still unable to reach affected areas, vulnerable individuals are increasingly facing starvation, and disease outbreaks remain far too common. I have been clear, and remain clear, that aid must be allowed to flow, uninterrupted, into the required areas.
I will continue to call on the Israeli Government to fulfil its humanitarian commitments under international law and the peace plan, as the UK Government has and continues to do. The UK has committed a further £23 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency, which supports Palestinians, and £10 million to the UN Horizon Fund for early Gaza recovery, including water and healthcare, basic education, social services, emergency food and shelter. But even with this UK Government’s continued support, unless the Israeli Government changes course, the situation will remain dire.
INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PROCESS
I am also deeply concerned by the findings of a report commissioned by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which demonstrate increasing evidence that war crimes appear to have been committed by actors such as the Israeli Defence Forces in the course of hostilities. I, like the UK Government, support the legal process to consider these allegations, with final determinations to be made by competent courts.
ILLEGAL SETTLEMENTS IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE
I have been clear for many years that Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestine are illegal under international law in line with the finding of the International Court of Justice. I welcome the UK Government’s agreement that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists.
On too many occasions, the Israeli Government has turned a blind eye to this, and worse, members of the Israeli Government have made statements and taken actions to support the forced displacement of Palestinians.
I wholly condemn the Israeli Government’s publication of a tender for the E1 settlement project for over 1,200 homes. This is an unacceptable, destructive, and illegal move, and I call for its immediate reversal. The UK summoned the Israeli Ambassador over the approval of these plans. I also condemn the unilateral Israeli Government decision to expand its presence in the West Bank, which is contrary to international law.
And on top of official state policy, settler terrorism is rampant. The UN reports an average of six violent settler attacks against Palestinians per day this year, the highest on record.
SANCTIONS
The UK Government continues to act against those who support and perpetrate violence in Palestine. We have already announced sanctions on extremist ministers and settler entities.
The UK Government has now gone further and announced that alongside international partners France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Norway, Poland and Sweden, we are banning trade in goods from illegal Israeli settlements.
We will introduce a new, comprehensive sanctions regime, with appropriate religious exemptions. Action will be taken against specific companies and individuals who provide services such as construction, infrastructure, financing or real estate for settlement expansion.
ARMS EXPORTS
On arms exports, as I have made clear in previous statements, I support the Government’s 2024 decision on arms exports to Israel. Following a legal review, it found a clear risk that certain exports, if used in Gaza, could contribute to serious violations of international humanitarian law. As a result, some 30 licences were suspended. Most of those suspended licences have since expired, but those suspensions remain fully in place.
The UK Government has announced that we will also now refuse all licence applications for arms and other exports that materially contribute to the occupation. This creates a double lock against arms sales. This means the ban on such exports will now remain as long as the occupation persists.
Some constituents have raised the issue of F-35 parts with me. The UK Government stopped providing direct parts to Israel’s F-35 programme in October 2024. The only provision the UK now makes is indirectly to the global supply programme. Those who say we should stop supplying parts to the global supply chain are actually advocating the downing of the whole programme, which is crucial to NATO and other allies.
As you will know, in September 2025, the UK formally recognised the State of Palestine, joining over 150 other countries in doing so. I had called for recognition for over 30 years, decades before I became your MP. As I have consistently stated, a two-state solution is the only path to ensure a safe, secure and viable Palestinian State, alongside a safe and secure Israel. We cannot let the possibility of that two-state solution be destroyed by the personal political ambition of the Israeli Prime Minister.