12 November 2023 , 22:30
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Labour tonight toughened up calls for “pauses” in fighting in Gaza as Keir Starmer braced for a renewed revolt over an Israel ceasefire.
Rebels are gearing up for a potential Commons vote on demands for a ceasefire - paving the way for a showdown with their party leader. Mr Starmer has so far called for “pauses” in the bloodshed to allow vital aid in and Palestinians to flee to the wartorn Strip. Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy last night(SUN) called for a “full and immediate humanitarian pause” in Israel’s Defence Forces’ war on Hamas. But he again stopped short of urging a ceasefire.
Hamas’ October 7 attacks left at least 1,400 Israelis dead and 240 taken hostage. Israel’s military retaliated with air strikes and a ground invasion of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Officials say at least 10,000 Palestinians have been killed.
Mr Lammy said that while “short pauses” in fighting “are a first step … on their own (they) won't make the impact needed to relieve this humanitarian crisis”. He added: “The damage to water pipelines and other infrastructure to hospitals need to be rebuilt, and that requires a longer pause. The aid getting into Gaza is still completely insufficient. It is unacceptable that Israel still has not lifted the siege conditions.
"We need a full and immediate humanitarian pause in the fighting across the whole of Gaza to alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians and for Hamas terrorists to release the hostages. The full pause must start now to get sufficient food, water, electricity, medicine and fuel into Gaza and address the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. Far too many Palestinian civilians and children have been killed and there has been far too much civilian suffering over the past month.”
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Scottish nationalists have tabled an amendment to the King’s Speech calling for a ceasefire. If selected by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle this week, it could lay bare the extent of Labour divisions.
The SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn told Sky News: “This is a humanitarian catastrophe and the best way to deal with it is a ceasefire. A ceasefire allows us to uphold international law, protect civilians and promote peace."
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper swerved saying whether frontbenchers would be sacked if they voted for a ceasefire. She told the BBC: “I can’t pre-empt the process that we will go through with the selection of amendments that hasn’t yet taken place by the Speaker, and the Labour Party will then set out its response to the amendments that are selected.”