Tanks outside Gaza church, Israeli snipers targeting anyone out: Britain's 1st MP of Palestinian descent

LONDON/ATHENS

Layla Moran, the UK's first MP of Palestinian descent, on Tuesday, raised the alarm over dire circumstances faced by her extended family trapped in a Gaza church.

During an urgent question session in the House of Commons on the Israel-Gaza conflict, Moran urged the UK government to support an "immediate bilateral cease-fire" in Gaza, as she stressed that the ongoing violence is exacerbating tensions and hindering peace efforts.

"I have spoken before in this House about my extended family who are in the Holy Family Parish Church in Zeitoun in Gaza, and the situation has been desperate for weeks," she said.

"There are tanks outside the gates, there are soldiers and snipers pointing into the complex shooting at anyone who ventures out, and the convent was bombed," she added.

Moran revealed that her extended family members are among those facing a severe shortage of basic necessities, with some down to their "last can of corn."

"There is no electricity. There is no clean water. And the updates that I had last night was that they're down to their last can. I'm told of the pressure, that food has been delivered, but they've not seen it," she said.

"And when this began a week ago, the IDF (Israeli army) soldiers ordered the civilians to evacuate against their will. Can the government confirm that it sees the forcible displacement of civilians as unacceptable?" she asked.

The MP stressed that an immediate cease-fire is imperative to address the humanitarian crisis and to create an environment conducive to peace negotiations.

The Liberal Democrat lawmaker earlier said a member of her family died in Gaza last month due to an inability to access medical care.

Moran urges UK government to recognize Palestinian state as 'historical obligation'

"When will the UK recognize Palestine as a first step towards two states to guarantee security for Israelis and Palestinians?" Moran asked as she said it is the only way to guarantee security and dignity both for Israelis and Palestinians.

She said the fact that hundreds of hostages are still in captivity by Hamas is not "acceptable," yet the only route to peace is political and not military.

"Will the government demand an immediate bilateral cease-fire? Will it change how it votes at the UN Security Council as a result?" she asked.

Moran also urged the UK government to "fulfill its historical obligation to the region" by delivering the two-state solution.

Separately, Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said: "The scale of civilian deaths and displacement in Gaza is shocking. We, of course, want to see an end to the fighting, but this must be a sustainable cease-fire, meaning Hamas must stop launching rockets into Israel and release the hostages.

"The whole House will be gravely concerned about the desperate situation in Gaza. It cannot continue and we are deploying all our diplomatic resources, including in the United Nations, to help find a viable solution."

Israel's air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas have killed at least 19,667 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 52,586 others, according to health authorities in the enclave.

The war has left Gaza in ruins with half of the coastal territory's housing stock damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million people displaced within the densely populated enclave amid shortages of food and clean water.

Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, while more than 130 hostages remain in captivity.