Ex-Labour party leader calls on British MPs to vote for cease-fire in Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) – The UK's former Labour Party leader said Tuesday that he would vote in favor of a motion calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, asking MPs to do the same in parliament.

Scottish National Party (SNP) amendment, which calls on the government to “join with the international community in urgently pressing all parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire," will likely be voted on in parliament on Wednesday.

Expressing his support for the motion, Jeremy Corbyn called on MPs to make the "simple moral choice."

"Do you support the indiscriminate killing of human beings, or do you want to stop the further loss of life," he wrote on X.

Slamming the UK government for giving a "green light to unconscionable death and destruction" in Gaza, Corbyn reaffirmed he condemns the targeting of all civilian life.

"That includes the deplorable acts of terror by Hamas against Israeli civilians. And that includes acts of terror by the Israeli government against Palestinian civilians," he noted, adding that more than 11,000 people in Gaza have been killed, almost half of whom are children.

Mentioning that the cycle of violence will go on without a peaceful and political solution, Corbyn said the bombing "must end."

"I will vote for a ceasefire tomorrow, and I will continue to demand the release of hostages, an end to the siege of Gaza, and an end to the occupation of Palestine. I urge colleagues to do the same," he noted.

Ahead of the possible vote, Mish Rahman, a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has started a campaign titled "Labour for a cease-fire now."

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has been under fire for repeatedly refusing to call for a cease-fire and especially after his controversial remarks during an interview that Israel had the "right" to cut power and water supplies to Palestinians living in Gaza.

The Labour Party has seen a series of resignations from councilors following that remarks, while hundreds of Muslim councilors, including MPs called on their party leadership to call for an immediate cease-fire.

Meanwhile, citing sources, The Guardian reported that Starmer is facing "a rebellion by as many as a dozen shadow ministers," who are ready to resign rather than vote against calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 11,320 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 7,800 women and children, and over 29,200 others have been injured, according to the latest figures from Palestinian authorities.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have been damaged or destroyed in the Israeli offensive.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, stands at 1,200, according to official figures.