Prominent Figures Urge UK Action on Gaza Crisis
Benedict Cumberbatch, Riz Ahmed, Dua Lipa, and Annie Lennox are part of a group of 300 celebrities and public figures who have signed an open letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging an end to what they describe as the UK’s role in the Gaza humanitarian crisis.
The letter states, “We implore you to act immediately to cease the UK’s involvement in the atrocities occurring in Gaza.” It highlights the severe conditions in Gaza, where “children are suffering from hunger, and essential supplies of food and medicine are mere minutes away, yet blocked from entry. Mere words cannot feed the children of Palestine – decisive action is essential. At this moment, all 2.1 million inhabitants of Gaza face the peril of starvation.”
The letter paints a grim picture of the situation: “Whole families, infants, and the elderly are being left to starve under the watch of the global community. Around 290,000 children are teetering on the edge of death, having been deprived of necessities by the Israeli government for over 70 days.”
The signatories are calling for the UK to immediately halt all arms sales to Israel, ensure that aid agencies can access Gaza to provide needed humanitarian relief, and help negotiate a ceasefire.
Additional supporters of the letter from the entertainment industry include Tobias Menzies, Tilda Swinton, Toby Jones, Steve Coogan, Sadie Frost, Ruth Negga, Lily Cole, and Mark Ruffalo, among others.
The letter emerges amid increasing global concern over Israel’s 20-month military operation in Gaza, initiated in response to attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages.
According to the latest reports from health authorities in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, the death toll has now surpassed 54,000, with the region facing imminent famine due to an 11-week blockade on food supplies by Israel.
The campaign was initiated by Choose Love, a non-governmental organization dedicated to providing emergency aid to displaced populations. Josie Naughton, co-founder and CEO of the agency, emphasized, “We need immediate action from Keir Starmer, which includes stopping all arms sales and licenses, ensuring legitimate humanitarian groups can access Gaza, and actively working to end these atrocities. Decisive action now, as opposed to inaction, will define our moral legacy in the eyes of history. We implore the Prime Minister to make the humane decision.”
While Israel resumed some aid deliveries last week, the United Nations reports that the quantities are insufficient to alleviate the food shortages. Recently, desperation led to a tragic incident where a crowd stormed a food warehouse in Gaza, resulting in two deaths and several injuries.
The UK, along with Western allies like France, Italy, Germany, and Canada, has staunchly supported Israel following the October attacks. However, several European leaders have recently voiced concerns over the extent of Israeli actions in Gaza. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed that the continuous bombings in Gaza are “beyond comprehension,” and top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas criticized the Israeli strikes as excessive beyond the needs of combating Hamas.
In the UK, Foreign Minister David Lammy took a firm stance by summoning the Israeli ambassador and pausing discussions on a trade deal, condemning the blockade on Gaza as “intolerable” and “morally indefensible.” Conversely, UK’s top trade envoy Lord Austin proceeded with a diplomatic visit to Israel to strengthen bilateral relations.
The plea to Prime Minister Starmer is part of a broader wave of appeals this week, including letters from leading lawyers and a collective of writers from the UK and Ireland, featuring notable figures like Zadie Smith and Ian McEwan.
The full roster of signatories to the Choose Love letter encompasses a wide array of professionals from various fields, demonstrating significant support for urgent action on the Gaza crisis.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
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