British MPs demand sanctions on Israel for blocking aid to Gaza

More than 50 UK MPs have called for new sanctions on Israel for blocking humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip, while urging their government to quickly deliver aid to Gazans.

The motion was tabled in the British Parliament on Tuesday night (November 10) by Labour MP Richard Burgoyne. The motion states that most people in Gaza are now homeless as Israeli attacks have destroyed homes and sewers. The temporary shelters of thousands of families displaced by recent storms have been destroyed. Even in such a situation, Israel is not allowing humanitarian aid, shelter construction equipment and foreign aid workers to enter Gaza. The motion strongly condemns Israel's obstruction.

According to the United Nations, about 65 percent of Gaza's population, or 1.4 million people, are now living in tents or makeshift shelters. Thousands of these tents have been submerged or damaged in the past week of heavy rains and storms.

Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the occupied Palestinian territory, said that stocks of winter clothing and shelter supplies inside Gaza have been completely depleted. Meanwhile, some 150,000 tents are stuck in trucks outside the Gaza border. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, Israel is allowing only 15 aid trucks from Jordan into Gaza a week.

The British Parliament's motion calls on the government to ensure that relief and reconstruction supplies can enter Gaza quickly and without hindrance, and calls for sanctions against Israeli officials responsible for blocking aid under the new 2026 Human Rights and International Law Sanctions Act.

A total of 55 MPs from across the party have supported the motion. Labour's Abtisam Mohammed, Andy McDonald, John McDonnell and Kim Johnson, as well as five Independent Alliance MPs and five Green Party MPs, have also signed it.

Earlier on Monday night, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband outlined the dire situation in Gaza in a video message. He said that around 70,000 tents had been damaged by heavy rain and strong winds, that dilapidated buildings were collapsing and that more people were dying.

Miliband said the British government would not remain silent and that Israel, as the occupying power, must abide by international law. He was also working with G7 partners to pressure Israel to lift unreasonable barriers to aid access to Gaza, ensure the safety of aid workers and ensure the well-being of ordinary people.

Source: Middle East Eye