“How many more people have to die?” – Rotherham MP calls for more aid for Gaza after Egypt visit

Ms Champion’s committee of cross-party MPs visited el-Arish, a city in Egypt serving as a supply and logistics hub for the humanitarian aid effort to the Gaza Strip.

Following the visit, where Ms Champion and her committee met aid workers so they could report back to the UK Government, the MP described Gaza as ‘lawless’.

The committee published a report calling on the UK Government to press for more than 500 trucks of humanitarian aid a day to be allowed into Gaza; for all the crossings to open; and for the Israeli military to cooperate better with aid agencies.

Ms Champion added that the UK is ‘not getting accurate information about the levels of destruction and brutality’ in Gaza.

“We learned about the lawlessness in Gaza, with Hamas police being killed and civilians getting increasingly desperate. Personally, I fear that unless something happens to stabilise the situation, the remaining UN support will withdraw leaving Palestinians utterly alone.

“Politicians around the world need to demand an immediate end to the violence, full access for aid and a long-term strategy to rebuild Gaza; both its infrastructure and its society.”

Ms Champion asked a House of Commons debate on April 17: “How many more people have to die?”

She added that aid is “not even touching the sides of the problem”.

She asked the government why more is not being done to “persuade Israel to meet its responsibilities under international law and facilitate aid to the people of Gaza”.

"Despite the Foreign Secretary’s optimism about greater humanitarian flows, the average is just over 1,100 [aid] trucks a week. Why are this Government not doing more to persuade Israel to meet its responsibilities under international law and facilitate aid to the people of Gaza? How many more people have to die?

David Rutley MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said the government is “pressing incredibly hard”, and has committed “£9.7 million for aid deliveries through the life-saving aid corridor to Gaza through the sea”.

“We have already deployed a number of airdrops, which have helped, but a lot more needs to be done,” he added.