MPs should urgently gather in Westminster to debate Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take control of Gaza City, a Green MP has urged.
Fronting the Green Party’s bid for a recall of Parliament during the summer recess, Ellie Chowns warned the Israeli security cabinet’s plan risked creating “untold human suffering”.
Mr Netanyahu’s office has unveiled new principles for military action which include “the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip”, “Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip” and “the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority”.
The Israel Defence Forces “will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones”.
More than 61,000 people have been killed during Israeli military action in Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, in a conflict which began after a Hamas-led attack killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7 2023.
Among the count are at least 13 people killed in southern Gaza on Thursday as they sought aid in an Israeli military zone.
“Netanyahu’s brutal plan to take control of Gaza is yet another declaration of intent to commit war crimes and will lead to untold catastrophic civilian suffering,” Ms Chowns said.
“The UK must do far more than simply express disapproval.
“We need to recall Parliament immediately to hold the UK Government to account, to urgently assess whether we are meeting our obligations under the Genocide Convention and to enact immediate measures — including sanctions on the Israeli cabinet and suspension of all military co-operation and arms sales — to prevent further atrocities.
“The consequences of delay will be measured in countless innocent lives lost.”
The North Herefordshire MP also called on the Government to publish its risk assessment of genocide in Gaza or a timeline for evidence-gathering.
She also urged ministers to use diplomatic channels to press for a ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access into Gaza, safe release of the remaining hostages and an international inquiry into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Israel.
Critics of Mr Netanyahu’s plan include Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who said the Israeli government risked bringing “more bloodshed”.
He said: “The Israeli government’s decision to further escalate its offensive in Gaza is wrong and we urge it to reconsider immediately.
“This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help secure the release of the hostages.”
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said Israel “has the right to defend itself against Hamas’s terror” and added working towards a ceasefire and release of the hostages were a “top priority” for the government in Berlin.
But “the even harsher military action by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, approved by the Israeli cabinet last night, makes it increasingly difficult for the German government to see how these goals will be achieved”, he said.
