Following talks to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza by the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas, the British prime minister told his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, that the UK will stand with Israel ‘in solidarity’ and that the UK wants Israel ‘to win’.

Rishi Sunak’s strong show of diplomatic support comes after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into southern Israel on October 7. Fighters crossed into Israel in an unprecedented, multipronged operation and killed and held captive many attendees of the Supernova music festival.

The music festival was located near the Gaza strip, which has been put under a blockade by Israel since 2006, restricting the free flow of people and goods. The blockade has devastated Gaza’s economy and worsened its living conditions, causing many human rights organisations to label it an “open-air prison”.

From October 8, Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes, levelling buildings in Gaza city; indiscriminately hitting refugee camps, hospitals, mosques, residential buildings, and educational institutions. Throughout the week, Israel announced a “total blockade” on Gaza and ordered the evacuation of 1.1 million Palestinians living north of Wadi Gaz to relocate south within 24 hours.

The Israeli army announced a safe route for Palestinians from Beit Hanoon to Khan Younis via Gaza’s two main roads but continued to target the city, including the roads that Palestinians were using to escape. The United Nations (UN) human rights office has said that Israel’s evacuation order could amount to the “forcible transfer of civilians” which is a crime against humanity punishable by the ICC.

Israel’s evacuation order could amount to the “forcible transfer of civilians” which is a crime against

The World Health Organization (WHO) also strongly condemned the evacuation order and said that verified reports of the death of health workers and the destruction of health facilities denies civilians the basic human right of life-saving healthcare, which is “prohibited under international humanitarian law”.

For the first two weeks of the war, Israel had not allowed the Rafah border crossing to open which had meant that a humanitarian convoy of 20 trucks from Egypt had been unable to enter Gaza. The US President, Joe Biden, brokered a deal with Israel following hours of talks with Netanyahu which allowed the opening of the Egypt-Gaza border for the delivery of desperately needed aid, a move that was argued to be “too little too late” for already struggling Palestinians.

It also comes after the US vetoed a UN security council resolution that would have called for a humanitarian ceasefire to allow for the delivery of aid and would have urged Israel to rescind its evacuation order.

Keir Starmer has written to Labour councillors to express his sympathy for innocent Palestinian and Israeli people amid criticism of his Israel-Gaza stance. On the final day of the Labour Party conference, Starmer said that Israel “has the right” to withhold water, power and food from Palestinians causing many Labour councillors across the UK to resign from the Labour Party, with more expected to quit. Resignations have been in large Muslim communities which could result in Labour eventually losing control of them.

The Labour Muslim Network has told the Guardian that the leadership’s stance has left many Muslims and Palestinians “feeling that their lives are not valued in the party”.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets across the globe calling for a ceasefire, condemning Israel’s “collective punishment” of Palestinians in response to the Hamas attack, and wishing for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine, which many deem illegal and describe as apartheid. Over the last week, the police have made a dozen arrests across the UK and following comments on the potential criminality of waving Palestinian flags and the singing of chants advocating for freedom made by Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, many have been left unsure about their protest rights.

As Israel plans to intensify its attacks on Gaza, the UN warns that an escalation of military activities in the strip would be catastrophic with 4,741 Palestinians already killed and 15,898 injured. In Israel, 1,403 people have been killed and at least 4,629 injured. 203 people are still held captive by Hamas.