Israel-Palestine war: London mayor backs calls for Gaza ceasefire
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has joined a chorus of voices from the UK's main opposition Labour Party backing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.
More than 1.4 million of Gaza's 2.1 million population have been displaced by hostilities that erupted following the deadly 7 October attack by Palestinian groups on Israeli cities and towns.
Since then, Israel has been relentlessly bombing the tiny enclave and placed the entire territory under complete siege, with more than 7,000 people killed.
After two weeks of international negotiations, limited water, food and medical supplies were allowed into Gaza on Saturday.
Speaking on Friday, Khan, a former Labour MP for the district of Tooting, said he was joining ranks with much of the international community in calling for a ceasefire.
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"It would stop the killing and allow vital aid supplies to reach those who need it in Gaza. It would also allow the international community more time to prevent a protracted conflict in the region and further devastating loss of life," he said in a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Khan's comments came hours after the Guardian reported that nearly a quarter of Labour MPs had called for a ceasefire in Gaza, contrary to the party's official line.
According to the newspaper, 49 Labour MPs out of 199 had either said they wanted a ceasefire or signed a Commons motion calling for one.
Discontent is also growing in the shadow cabinet, with Sarah Owen, the shadow minister for faith, and Rachel Hopkins, shadow Cabinet Office minister, reported to be considering whether to quit, according to The Times.
Two weeks ago, Labour leader Keir Starmer garnered controversy when he put his weight behind Israel's bombing campaign in Gaza.
Starmer had seemingly backed Israel's "right" to collectively punish Palestinians in the besieged territory before saying that his comments were wrongly interpreted.
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Starmer has faced discontent within the party from both Muslim MPs and backers of the Palestinian cause.
On Wednesday, a letter organised by the Labour Muslim Councillors Network called on Starmer to call for an immediate ceasefire to end the “humanitarian disaster” in Gaza.
"As Labour councillors elected to serve our constituents, this message we have been repeatedly hearing over the past two weeks is simple. People just want an end to the bloodshed and loss of innocent life," the letter said.
That message came after at least 20 Labour councillors across the country resigned over Starmer’s response to the war.
Starmer and Labour’s troubles with the Muslim community were further compounded this week when the party leader used his visit to a mosque to call for the release of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian groups in Gaza.
After visiting the South Wales Islamic Centre, Starmer posted a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, which clarified he had never backed Israel’s collective punishment tactics but also said:
"I made clear it is not and has never been my view that Israel had the right to cut off water, food, fuel or medicines. International law must be followed.”
Many Muslims took issue with that statement, as they said it implied that the Muslim community as a whole was responsible for the captives’ fate.
Last week, Leicester Mayor Peter Soulsby criticised Starmer for giving the impression that the party was “ignoring” the suffering of Palestinians.
"The impression that has been given is that this condemnation of recent events extends to approving uncritically the Israeli government's response and of ignoring the decades of injustice and the oppression of Palestinians and the violations of their human rights," Soulsby wrote.
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