'Our dignity is being starved': British Palestinians demand UK stop enabling Israel's siege of Gaza 

British Palestinians have issued an urgent appeal to the UK government to intervene in Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon of war, accusing it of aiding a “systemic genocide” in Gaza through continued arms exports and political support.

At a press conference in London on Thursday, organised by the British Palestinian Committee (BPC) and the UK Gaza Community, speakers delivered harrowing testimony from Palestinians in the UK and aid workers still inside Gaza. MPs and medical professionals also voiced support.

"What is happening in Gaza is directly impacting British Palestinians," Sara Hussein, director of the BPC, said. "The UK government is not a bystander, it is an active participant. A British trade envoy was sent to Israel in the midst of genocide. That sends a chilling message - it's business as usual."

The UK has faced growing pressure to halt arms sales to Israel. Despite warnings from rights groups and a ruling from the International Court of Justice that genocide was "plausible", investigations show British-made components are being used in weapons deployed over Gaza.

'Where is the red line?'

The call for action comes a day after a rare breakthrough in Parliament. On Wednesday, a bill introduced by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn passed its first reading in the House of Commons. The bill demands a full public inquiry into Britain’s military, political and economic support for Israel since October 2023.

The motion was co-sponsored by 40 MPs, including nine Labour members who defied the party whip. Labour MP Steve Witherden, speaking at the press event, called for an immediate suspension of arms exports.

"As Israeli leaders vow to wipe out Gaza, it is clear they will not stop until Gaza is destroyed," he said. "If not Parliament, and not the courts, then to whom is my government accountable for war crimes and genocide?"

Witherden described Corbyn's bill as a historic opportunity to hold the UK to account. "The voices speaking for Palestine are few, but they are loud and mighty. Together, we will not stay silent," he added.

More than 600 days into Israel’s war, siege and bombardment, Gaza remains on the brink. The collapse of the January 2025 ceasefire has left millions without consistent aid, shelter, or functioning healthcare.

Aid as a trap of death’

Speaking from Gaza via video link, Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, described a collapsed humanitarian system entirely under Israeli control. He condemned the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) - a mechanism created by the US and Israel to bypass existing aid routes like UNRWA — as a "military distribution system".

"People walk for hours to reach fenced aid points and are shot at when they arrive," he said. "Women, children and the elderly are being humiliated and killed just for trying to eat."

He warned of famine, particularly among children, and said 80 percent of Gaza is now under evacuation orders. "

We've lost the ability to meet even the most basic needs," he said.

The GHF recently suspended operations in Rafah after Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians waiting for food. The group is now led by Rev. Johnnie Moore, a former Trump adviser and pro-Israel Evangelical pastor, after Boston Consulting Group pulled out.

Ahmad Abu Rizq, founder of Gaza Great Minds, said the humanitarian crisis has worsened since April.

"As I speak to you now, I am hungry," he said. "Our dignity is being starved. We are fighting two battles: the airstrikes and the famine."

Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed at least 54,607 Palestinians and wounded over 125,000, according to the health ministry in Gaza. Millions have been displaced, and aid groups warn of an engineered famine.

Ali Musa, a British Palestinian who lost several family members in Israeli airstrikes, condemned international inaction.

"This is not war. It is systemic genocide," he said. "Aid has become a trap of death. Starvation is one of the vilest weapons. Humanity has collapsed."

His sister, Hind Hassan Mousa, a teacher and mother of three in Rafah, spoke via video link. "Every night before bed I ask: is it a sin or a curse that I live here in Gaza?" she said.

She recalled a student fainting in class from hunger. "How can I teach them their right to education, when the world denies them the right to food?"

Humanitarian experts say the Israeli blockade, which restricts nearly all food, fuel, and medicine, has led to famine in the north and catastrophic malnutrition in the south. Aid remains sporadic, and many NGOs have warned that the situation is “unliveable.”

Dr Rossel Mohrij, a plastic surgeon who volunteered at Al-Nasser hospital, described losing a child to multi-organ failure from malnutrition.

"We have enough bodies to call this what it is; a genocide," she said. "To every patient I treated or couldn’t treat: I’m sorry. We tried. But I feel we didn’t try hard enough. That guilt stays with us."