Scottish National Party seeks fresh voting to call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – The Scottish National Party (SNP) said on Wednesday it will seek a fresh vote in the House of Commons next week to call for a an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, where Israel's relentless attacks continue.

“The UK Parliament cannot just sit on its hands and do nothing. Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer must back an immediate ceasefire now,” SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said in a statement.

The move outs fresh pressure on the opposition after a similar vote in November saw eight shadow ministers break ranks to back an immediate truce.

Since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, killing less than 1,200 people, the Israeli offensive into Gaza has killed more than 28,000 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.