UK shadow foreign secretary calls for ‘compassionate intervention’ in Gaza

In a letter to Foreign Secretary, David Lammy conveys the critical situation in Gaza as Ramadan begins

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British shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has written a powerful and urgent appeal to Foreign Secretary David Cameron, outlining the catastrophic conditions in Gaza as Ramadan begins.

Mr Lammy describes the situation in Gaza as “chronic shortages of food, water and medicine and the healthcare system no longer functioning”.

He urged the UK government to initiate “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and to negotiate for the “release of the remaining hostages”, asserting the need to create a safe passage and space for Gazans.

The letter, posted on X, insists on the legal and moral imperative for the UK to influence Israel, the “occupying power,” to augment aid flow, and to resume funding for the UN Palestinian agency, the UNRWA.

“It is outrageous that aid delivery to Gaza fell by half in February,” Mr Lammy said in the letter.

His correspondence does not neglect the religious implications of the conflict, particularly during a time of significance for Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

He called for the preservation of the status quo at holy sites in Jerusalem, notably for Muslims’ access to Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site, in Jerusalem.

Mr Lammy urged that “authorities show respect and restraint, and Muslim worshippers are able to enter Al Aqsa to worship.”