Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, is currently faced with the prospect of a rebellion in his party.

Four Shadow Ministers are prepared to quit in the coming days and up to ten are on ‘resignation watch’ after frontbencher Imran Hussain resigned in protest of Starmer’s refusal to call for an Israeli ceasefire.

Starmer told an audience at the Chatham House international affairs think tank in London that while he “understands calls for a ceasefire at this stage”, he does not believe it is “the correct position”.

“Hamas would be emboldened and start preparing for future violence immediately,” he said, advocating for a “humanitarian pause” instead.

Many Labour MPs have expressed that they are facing pressure from constituents and other party members to deviate from Keir Starmer’s stance and take a firmer stand for a ceasefire.

Recently, the Senedd backed an immediate ceasefire in a vote, raising questions about how Starmer would approach a similar vote at Westminster. While Welsh Labour government ministers abstained, Labour backbenchers were given a free vote, with eleven backing the motion.

Labour MP Andy McDonald was suspended for saying in a speech at a pro-Palestine protest that “we will not rest until we have justice. Until all people, Israelis and Palestinians, between the river and the sea, can live in peaceful liberty”.

The Labour Muslim Network has called the suspension “both obscene and deeply offensive” and said that those who made this decision do not think Palestinians and Muslims deserve the “fundamental right to live in peace, with liberty and self-determination”.

Since then, McDonald has sued Conservative MP Chris Clarkson, who has accused the Labour MP of “seeking to justify the murderous action of Hamas” in the Israel-Hamas war.

In what many deem an attempt to appease Muslim communities after his remarks on Israel’s imposition of a blockade on Gaza, Keir Starmer made a visit to the South Wales Islamic Centre.

He has been accused of having “gravely misrepresented” the meeting in a statement the Mosque posted.

Starmer told [...] that while he ‘understands calls for a ceasefire at this stage’, he does not believe it is ‘the correct position’. ‘Hamas would be emboldened and start preparing for future violence immediately’, he said [...].

“Members of the community directly challenged Keir on his statements made on the Israeli government’s right to cut food, electricity and water to Gaza, warranting war crimes as well as his failure to call for an immediate ceasefire”, the statement said.

With the rise in Islamophobia since October 7, many question whether the UK’s Muslim communities, many of which traditionally vote for the Labour Party and support the Palestinian cause, will revolt against the party in a general election, either by abstaining or casting their vote elsewhere.

The Muslim Council of Britain has warned of “sinister rhetoric against Muslims in general and pro-Palestinian supporters in particular” in response to Suella Braverman’s, “divisive” language used to describe the largely peaceful pro-Palestine marches.

Following a public row between Braverman and the Metropolitan Police, as well as violent clashes between far-right anti-Palestine protesters and the police near the Cenotaph on Armistice Day, which she has been accused of inciting, it remains to be seen whether Rishi Sunak will sack the Home Secretary.

As the death toll exceeds 11,000 in Gaza, Israel has continued to attack hospitals, with at least 16 of the 35 hospitals in Gaza being out of service.

Al-Shifa Hospital, which is the Gaza Strip’s largest medical facility, is completely out of service after it struggled to treat thousands of patients.

The medical facility and its external surroundings have been targeted by the Israeli military as well as anyone walking inside the courtyard and between its various buildings.

Israeli forces claim that the hospital is located above the headquarters of Hamas, a claim which Hamas has rejected.

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has said that Israel must stop bombing Gaza and killing civilians, urging other leaders to join his calls for an immediate ceasefire.

This comes as a significant change from Macron’s former position and France’s banning of pro-Palestinian rallies since the beginning of the war.

Several countries have also withdrawn diplomats from Israel amid global criticism of Israel’s continued attack on Gaza.