Jeremy Corbyn has written to Rishi Sunak to express his “growing concern” over the UK’s position on the escalating conflict in Gaza.
Israel’s ground troops have advanced towards Gaza City as the US and Arab countries intensified diplomatic efforts to ease the siege of the Hamas-ruled enclave and bring about at least a brief stop to the fighting to help civilians.
President Joe Biden suggested a humanitarian “pause” on Wednesday, as hundreds of foreign passport holders and wounded Palestinians were allowed out of Gaza for the first time, leaving via Egypt’s Rafah crossing.
Jordan recalled its ambassador from Israel and told Israel’s envoy to remain out of the country until there is a halt to the war and the “humanitarian catastrophe” it is causing.
More than 3,600 Palestinian children have been killed in 25 days of fighting, as bombings have driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes and food, water and fuel run low.
Israeli troops pushed into Gaza in larger numbers over the weekend after three weeks of heavy air strikes that have demolished entire neighbourhoods and driven more than half the territory’s 2.3 million people out of their homes.
The war, the fifth and by far deadliest in Gaza, began when Hamas launched a bloody rampage into Israel on October 7, which killed hundreds of men, women and children. Some 240 were captured.
Former Labour leader Corbyn has written to the prime minister expressing his “growing distress” over the latter’s refusal to call for a ceasefire.
He said Sunak has avoided calling for an end to the bombardment.
“Instead, at every stage, you have given the green light for the Israeli army to bomb, starve and slaughter human beings in the name of self-defence,” Corbyn wrote.
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