11 February 2024 , 22:39
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Stop Rafah raid horror
Enough is enough in Gaza. The world must tell Benjamin Netanyahu that launching a ground offensive in a Rafah crammed with fleeing civilians would create a bloodbath that damages Israel.
The case for a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas is overwhelming, with the death toll in Gaza – put at 28,176 – and the massacre of 1,200 Israelis on October 7, both unforgivable crimes.
Israel’s leaders are losing sympathy and international support, plus any legal justification, for the invasion as the death toll mounts.
The estimated 1.4 million displaced Palestinians in Rafah must not be treated as collateral casualties. Netanyahu may ignore Rishi Sunak, David Cameron or Keir Starmer, but he might listen to Joe Biden if the US President threatened to cut US military supplies.
The fighting must stop now. We need an immediate, sustainable ceasefire to save lives.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
Time is up
Imagine the pain, anxiety and frustration of more than 1.5 million patients forced to wait in excess of 12 hours for treatment in A&E departments.
That’s longer than a flight from London to Los Angeles or Johannesburg takes.
That is almost one in every 10 people seeking urgent medical care – a shaming 9.6% that nudges five times NHS England’s 2% target.
We don’t blame hard-pressed nurses, doctors and other staff, but a woeful Tory Government that, with cuts and austerity, squeezed the life out of our most precious public service.
The dire state of the NHS is a major reason why many voters want a Labour Government.
Toast to Alex
Plucky teenager Alex Batty hasn’t had the easiest start to life, spending much of it travelling in France and Spain after he was abducted from Britain, aged 11.
So let’s wish a happy 18th birthday to a remarkable young man, who feels for his mum and grandad even as police hunt them down.