British Labour Party candidate and MP Naz Shah has accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza, vowing to pressure party leader Sir Keir Starmer to halt arms sales to Israel if Labour wins the upcoming general election scheduled for next Thursday.
Shah declared it “absolutely clear” that Israel has violated international law during the ongoing conflict in Gaza, according to a report by the British newspaper, The Telegraph. The newspaper noted that Shah’s statements are inconsistent with Labour Party policy.
Last November, Naz Shah resigned from her position in the Shadow Cabinet after Labour MPs were instructed to abstain from voting on a Scottish National Party (SNP) proposal calling for a ceasefire. Instead, they were directed to support Sir Keir Starmer’s stance advocating for longer “humanitarian pauses.”
Notably, Richard Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative in the Palestinian territories, announced on Tuesday that 270 patients have left Gaza European Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, following Israeli evacuation orders.
During a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Peeperkorn stated that the recent evacuation orders “have impacted operations at Gaza European Hospital, even though the hospital itself is not under evacuation orders.”
He clarified that 270 patients, along with medical staff, left the hospital voluntarily, and evacuation operations resumed at the hospital this morning.
Peeperkorn emphasized that “the lack of security near any hospital and the inability of patients, healthcare workers, and humanitarian workers to access fuel supplies, medical supplies, water, and food can render hospitals unable to operate very quickly.”
He added that “only three patients remain at Gaza European Hospital, and another three at the field hospital run by the International Committee of the Red Cross,” noting that most patients have been transferred to Nasser Medical Complex in western Khan Younis.