A ceasefire to end the 15-month war in Gaza has been welcomed by British Palestinian and British Israeli and Jewish communities, with the government being urged to now support the injured and launch a family reunification scheme.
The chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, described the ceasefire agreement, which will enable the release of 33 hostages initially, as a “moment of incalculable relief and a long-awaited ray of light in the midst of unbearable darkness”.
Sara Husseini, director of the British Palestinian Committee, underscored the immense toll the conflict has had on Gaza. “The past 15 months of relentless massacre and starvation of our loved ones and systematic destruction of all facets of civic life in Gaza has shown the world just how far Israel is willing and able to go in advancing its expansionist agenda,” she said.
The impact of the latest Israeli-Gaza war has been devastating. The Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023 killed 1,200 Israelis and 251 others were taken hostage. Israel began bombing the besieged strip that same day, killing more than 46,000 Palestinians to date, according to health officials.
A further 110,000 Palestinians have been wounded, over a quarter of whom now live with life-changing injuries including amputations, major burns and head injuries. “Gaza is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history,” Lisa Doughten, a senior UN official, told the security council last October.
Karim Ali, the London-based co-founder of the Gaza Sunbirds amputee cycling team, talked of an eeriness of fear that followed the ceasefire announcement. “The real war for us starts now. There’s been thousands of cases of amputations. That isn’t even considering the number of people who are gonna end up with permanent disabilities as a result of the war.”
Husseini and Ali urged the British government to push forward to end the 57-year occupation of the Palestinian territories, and lead an international-led effort to find a just solution to the enduring conflict.
Basem Farajallah, a member of the UK Gaza Community, a group of 350 families with loved ones in the territory, called for the launch of a bespoke scheme similar to the one launched for Ukraine, to allow Palestinians in Gaza to reunite with their immediate and extended family members in the UK.
Farajallah, who has lost nearly 40 members of his family in the war, believes the pain of Palestinian community has been ignored in the UK. He spoke of his eldest daughter, in Gaza City at the time, asking him: “‘Why doesn’t your country help us? I’m your daughter. Why doesn’t Britain help us? You’re a British citizen’.”
Farajallah added: “She was telling me that our friend said the Australians have helped them and they are going; and other ones have said the Americans have helped them, the Turkish have helped, the Moroccans have helped, the Portuguese have helped.”
In a statement, Yachad, a UK Jewish organisation that advocates for a political resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, noted that the current ceasefire deal could have happened months ago, saying: “It is similar to the ones proposed in May and August of last year, and far too many innocent people have died while waiting for politicians to take action.”
Yachad added: “This war has been led by extremists who simply do not care for the wellbeing of civilians, and the same people who have fought this war can’t be the ones to lead Israel and Palestine into a better future.”
Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “We hope, that after so many long and painful months, that the hostages will now finally be able to return home to their loved ones, Israeli and Palestinian civilians will see an end to suffering, and work can begin towards a comprehensive resolution that grants peace and security to all. Notwithstanding our hopes, we will not cease our advocacy until the last hostage is home.”
