Thank you to everyone who has been in touch about the horrific ongoing situation in Gaza.​​​​​

Like everyone who has contacted me, I am horrified by the events that have taken place in Gaza and Israel since October 7th and I sincerely hope for a swift end to the violence.

I am heartened to see that the Israeli Government and Hamas have agreed a temporary ceasefire, with a deal in place to see the release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by the Israeli Government.

This is a welcome development. However, it is only the first step in the process to reach a genuine cessation of violence. As Keir Starmer has said, the reality is that neither the long-term security of Israel nor long-term justice for Palestine can be delivered by bombs and bullets.

We must see an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with more aid being delivered to those who need it. Any future humanitarian pauses must be longer, so that damage to water pipelines and other infrastructure in Gaza can also be addressed, and so we can ultimately secure an enduring end to the violence.

The international community must demonstrate a renewed commitment towards creating the framework for a long-lasting peace via the two-state solution. In recent years, the two-state solution has been treated as a slogan, rather than as a serious strategy, and the international community has viewed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as too difficult to solve. That must change, and a Labour government would make this a priority.

In the meantime, in the face of such an extraordinary threat to children in Gaza, Labour is calling for an emergency plan from the Government to support the children of Gaza, to prioritise aid to children, and to deliver safe and protected shelters for food, clean water and medical care and a long-term co-ordinated plan to support this traumatised generation of young Palestinians.

Thank you to all my constituents who have contacted me to outline their feelings on this issue. I am proud to represent a community with such a passionate belief in the importance of human rights and which has shown such empathy and understanding to those in the Jewish, Muslim, and Palestinian communities in the UK.