Tory MP Edward Leigh has called on the government to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza.
It comes as more than 40 people have been killed in the latest Israeli strikes across the Strip, according to hospital sources.
There are reports that at least 36 bodies were taken to hospitals in the south, which saw intense Israeli bombardment overnight.
Brutal
Speaking in the House of Commons, he condemned Hamas as a “brutal terrorist organisation.”
But, in a question to Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer, the Father of the House went on to label Israel’s actions in Gaza as “unacceptable.”
He said: “It’s frankly unacceptable to recklessly bomb a hospital. It’s unacceptable to starve a whole people.
“Is the minister aware that many friends of Israel worldwide, notwithstanding narrow legal definitions, are asking this moral question: when is genocide not genocide?”
In response, Falconer said the government “will not move towards making determinations from despatch boxes on questions of legal determination, but that does not mean we will wait.”
Gaza blockade
Since the beginning of March, Israel has blocked all shipments of humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, from entering Gaza.
There has been international condemnation of the blockade, including from the UN which has warned of a “critical risk” of famine for the 2.1 million Palestinians living there.
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