The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

As I wrote in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel, the consequence of the terror would ultimately be a loss of both Palestinian and Israeli blood, and tragically every day which has passed since has proven this true.

No country on the planet would fail to act in response to the loss of hundreds of their citizens and the abduction of hundreds more, it would be hypocritical to claim otherwise. But the perpetrators of the attack were a terrorist group and not the Palestinian people, and the actions of Israel to rescue their citizens and safeguard themselves from further terrorist attacks must be targeted at Hamas and not the Palestinian people.

Countries have the right to defend themselves, not to seek revenge. The death of a Palestinian child will not avenge the loss of an Israeli child, and the fact that Hamas are embedded in urban parts of Gaza does not mean that the lives around them can simply be discounted.

The IDF is one of the most technologically-advanced and highly-trained militaries on the planet. It is within their power to act surgically, to remove Hamas as an active threat and to secure the release of Israeli citizens without resorting to indiscriminate warfare at the cost of thousands of Palestinian lives.

The international community has a duty to act now to prevent the further loss of innocent life in Gaza, to ensure that international law is upheld, and that civilians have access to food, water, fuel and medicine.

Beyond the current conflict with Hamas, we must recognise the right of all peoples to have a homeland of their own. A place where they can live free from the fear of violence, occupation and illegal settlement. Where they have the chance to grow and to prosper. This can only be achieved through the realisation of a Palestinian state alongside that of Israel. The world must come together to seek to end the fundamental injustice of Palestinian statelessness and to bring peace to the region once and for all.