Jas Athwal

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Ayrshire and Arran (Irene Campbell) for introducing this debate. I would like to turn the debate back to what it is supposed to be about, which is the suffering in Palestine. For the people there, there is no ceasefire. Bloodshed, slaughter and starvation remain the reality on the ground. Since the ceasefire was supposedly agreed, 63 children have been killed, according to UN sources—that is two children every day who have been murdered under the so-called ceasefire agreement. Those children who are alive are almost certainly suffering in some other way. They are injured or grieving, having lost their parents, friends or loved ones. Regardless of the constant violations and airstrikes, and the continued starvation, the illusion of a ceasefire has allowed many to take a moral holiday from the crisis in Palestine. They are patting themselves on the back for having solved this international crisis. Meanwhile, children are still paying the price and most families in Gaza remain trapped in crowded makeshift camps with little or no aid. We must be under no illusions: as we approach winter, the situation for civilians will only get worse. In the last few weeks, rainstorms and flooding have plunged Gazans into further misery, destroying the little shelter they have left. Tents have been broken; mattresses have been soaked. Because Gaza’s sanitation system has collapsed, much of the water saturating tents, mattresses and even food supplies is contaminated with sewage. There is virtually no dry land left; there is no new safe space to create new camps—there is nowhere else to go. We cannot allow the pretence of a ceasefire to slow our efforts to fulfil the humanitarian obligations to Gaza, or to excuse a lacklustre approach to supporting civilians. The humanitarian degradation and destruction in Gaza and the west bank remain as urgent as ever. I know that the Minister cares immensely and works tremendously hard. Does he agree that we have entered a situation where the Israeli Government can claim the moral high ground of operating under a ceasefire deal while continuing their assault on Gaza? If so, what representations has he made to Israel and our American partners to urge Israel to act in accordance with its moral obligation under international and humanitarian law and let aid flow into Gaza?