Praxis' statement on one year of war in Gaza

This week marks one year since the Hamas attack in Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage, and the devastating bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli state began. The past year has seen an unbearable escalation in suffering for civilians across the region as a result of ongoing and long-term violations in international law.    

Over the last year, more than 41,000 people in Gaza, over 14,000 of whom are children, have been killed, and nearly 2 million people have been forcibly displaced. Humanitarian aid is blocked, and people are dying from injury, disease, and starvation. The International Court of Justice has called on Israel to take urgent steps to prevent genocide, but nothing has changed. 

Nowhere is safe in Gaza and there is no way out for most people. For a year, many have been forced to move again and again, each time fleeing for their lives. 

We’re horrified to see the violence continue to escalate. In the last few weeks over 2,000 people have been killed by the Israeli state in Lebanon, while 1 million people – a fifth of the entire population – are now forcibly displaced. Tens of thousands have also been displaced in Northern Israel. 

We stand in solidarity with all those who’ve been forced from their homes, separated from their families, and mourning their loved ones.  

We join the chorus of voices calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages. We call for an end to the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and oppression of the Palestinian people.  

As a migrant charity, our demands to the Government are as follows: 

The Government must open safe routes for people fleeing this conflict, no matter their nationality or country of residence. We continue to call on the Government to urgently explore emergency pathways for people to seek refuge in the UK, along the same lines as the Ukraine schemes. 

The Government must uphold full accountability and compliance with international law, and immediately suspend all arms licences and exports to the Government of Israel. 

The Government must tackle the worrying rise of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism over the last year, which is impacting Muslims and Jews across the UK. Every politician, regardless of political party, must stop using harmful language that stokes division within and between communities.