Blackburn’s MP has welcomed a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas but said it was ‘shameful’ it has taken so long to bring about.
Independent Adnan Hussain was among five members of the Independent Alliance who also called for those ‘complicit in the genocide’ to be held to account for their actions.
After weeks of negotiations in Qatar, officials announced on Wednesday that Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal.
The deal promises the release of hostages held by Hamas and hundreds of Palestinians in Israel and would allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Gaza to return to what remains of their homes.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Wednesday night: “After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for.
“This ceasefire must allow for a huge surge in humanitarian aid, which is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza.
“Then our attention must turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people – grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state.
“The UK and its allies will continue to be at the forefront of these crucial efforts to break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace in the Middle East.”
However, Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet approved the deal [at time of writing], accusing Hamas of trying to “extort last-minute concessions”.
Mr Hussain, elected in July on a pro-Palestine ticket, has co-signed a letter with the other ‘Indepenent Alliance’ MPs, ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and other independents who campaigned on Gaza.
It said: “The announcement of a ceasefire will bring welcome and vital respite to survivors, as well as relief to all those who will be reunited with friends and family.
“It is beyond shameful that it has taken this long to bring it about. How many lives could have been saved if political leaders acted sooner and listened to the global demand for peace?
“They have blood on their hands – and it will never wash away.
“The British government must now fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court in pursuit of justice against all those who have committed war crimes.
“That includes complying with orders for arrest warrants, handing over all intelligence and facing accountability for its own complicity in genocide.
“We will continue to speak up for the only path to a just and lasting peace: the end to the occupation of Palestine and immediate recognition of Palestinian statehood.”
At least a dozen British citizens and some 1,200 Israelis were killed by Hamas in the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023.
Israel responded with a barrage of bombing and ground offensives that have killed more than 46,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children, and displaced an estimated 90 per cent of Gaza’s population and sparked a humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.
Meanwhile, leading charities have warned that an ‘enormous’ increase in humanitarian aid will be needed after an initial agreement for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef, said the announcement was “long overdue for the children and families of Gaza who have endured more than a year of bombardment and deprivation”.
She said: “The scale of humanitarian needs is enormous, and Unicef and partners are ready to scale up our response.
“The ceasefire must, finally, afford humanitarian actors the opportunity to safely roll out the massive response inside the Gaza Strip that is so desperately needed.
“This includes unimpeded access to reach all children and families with essential food and nutrition, health care and psychosocial support, clean water, and sanitation, education, and learning, as well as cash assistance and the resumption of commercial trucking operations.”
Ms Russell said less than half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals were functional, water production was at less than 25 per cent capacity and 95 per cent of Gaza’s school buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
Oxfam GB chief executive Halima Begum said people living in Gaza had been “systematically deprived of the essentials to live” during the conflict, and that food and water were being used “as weapons of war”.