NUB News has received the following letter from Thurrock-based Labour party members Darren Cogavin, Angela Gaywood and Owen Maudlin.

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Dear editor,

We, concerned members of the Labour Party in Thurrock, affirm our unequivocal support with the Palestinian people.

We heed the calls from Palestinian trade unions and social movements for an immediate end to Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. Hamas' surprise offensive on October 7th included criminal attacks against civilians, but under no circumstances does international law permit the collective punishment of civilians in a besieged occupied territory.

Since the beginning of the current onslaught, more than 11,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza including over 4,000 children.

The UN general secretary has described Gaza as a 'graveyard for children'. Many more Palestinians are dying from the lack of fuel, water, electricity and medical supplies due to the deliberate blockade.

The systematic bombardment includes targeting schools, mosques and hospitals. Raz Segal, the leading Israeli scholar of Holocaust and genocide studies, has called this a 'textbook case of genocide'.

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UK complicity has enabled these war crimes. We urge the Conservative government and the Labour Party to call for an immediate ceasefire. 

Furthermore, we demand that the UK stops aiding and abetting Israel through its military, economic and political support. We also reaffirm the right of Palestinians to freedom, self-determination and return.

As Thurrock Labour members, we cannot be silent whilst a genocide unfolds before us. Anything less at this point would be tacit support for crimes against humanity.