Children’s letters from Gaza handed in to Downing Street

Letters from Palestinian children have been handed in to Downing Street, calling for an urgent ceasefire and end to the violence in Gaza.

The messages to the Prime Minister, including a letter from the 15 year-old Palestinian Children’s Council (PCC) president, were handed over in a box which had the words “Gaza Can’t Wait” printed on the outside.

In her letter to Sir Keir Starmer, PCC president Mais Abdel Hadi says children in Gaza live in a “constant state of fear and anxiety, with shells accompanying us around the clock”, and asks “why must we children pay such a horrendous price?”

She is displaced with her family in Khan Younis Governorate. They have lost their home and belongings, and she says that “psychological wounds worsen, and physical suffering increases”.

Ray Hasan, of the Christian Aid international development charity, and Reverend Claire Whitmore, from Christians for Palestine, were among the delegation who delivered the letters on Tuesday.

Christian Aid is calling for the Government to signal its unequivocal support for upholding international humanitarian law and wants more humanitarian aid in Gaza.

The conflict in Gaza has proved a thorn in Sir Keir’s side since it began in October, with several senior Labour figures facing challenges at the General Election from Independent candidates amid discontent with the party’s position on the war.

Earlier this week, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he hoped to see a hostage deal emerge “in the coming days” and called for an immediate ceasefire and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza during a visit to the Middle East.

His first trip to Israel and the Palestinian Territories as Foreign Secretary included meetings with political leaders and families of hostages held in Gaza.

Mr Lammy said: “I hope that we see a hostage deal emerge in the coming days.

“And I am using all diplomatic efforts, indeed last week with the G7 nations and particularly with (US secretary of state Antony Blinken) Tony Blinken, pressing for that hostage deal.

“And I hope too that we see a ceasefire soon and we bring an alleviation to the suffering and the intolerable loss of life that we’re now seeing also in Gaza.”