A million trapped in Gaza City: UK must act as tanks move in and buildings burn

The major Israeli ground offensive underway in Gaza City will have catastrophic humanitarian consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.

We spoke to one of our partners yesterday, sheltering inside the Holy Family Church alongside hundreds of others, who told us they have lost everything. Life there is grindingly difficult.

Gaza City is now under an evacuation order, but leaving is not an easy decision. People describe the evacuation orders sent by Israel as being like a death trap. Roads have been destroyed by airstrikes, and a journey that took 30 mins before the war can now take the entire day. The only options are travelling on foot or by cart, knowing that at any moment any of the buildings they pass could be destroyed in airstrikes.

Elizabeth Funnell, CAFOD’s Country Representative for the Middle East, says:

“We are witnessing the systematic destruction of everything which sustains life in Gaza – whether that’s the means to produce food, find clean water, or access essential infrastructure like hospitals and schools. People are stuck between starvation and bombardment.

“Civilians are being told to leave, but there is nowhere safe to go. So-called 'humanitarian zones’ are already hugely overcrowded and lack basic services. Vulnerable people in Gaza City, trying to survive under famine conditions, will not be able to make the journey. Many are afraid that they will never be allowed to return.”

On Tuesday the UN Commission of Inquiry found that a genocide is taking place in Gaza. The UK cannot ignore its obligations under international law to act, wherever grave crimes are being committed.

The government must now halt all arms sales to Israel, and use every means available to prevent further harm and secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire.