LABOUR should halt arms sales to Israel and sanction Israeli officials to help halt the genocide in Gaza, left MP Andy McDonald told the Commons today.

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr McDonald drew attention to  a new report by Human Rights Watch which has “set out irrefutably how Israeli authorities are committing the war crimes of forcible transfer” on the population in Gaza.

 This “amounts to crimes against humanity,” he said. “Israel’s evacuation system fails to ensure civilian safety.

“Civilians are not provided with access to health, nutrition and shelter which is compounded by the banning of UNRWA with much of Gaza now uninhabitable.

“Will the government acknowledge that Israel has carried out mass forced displacement in Gaza? And will it take concrete measures on arms, trade and Israeli officials in order to comply with its duty to prevent genocide and protect Palestinian lives?” he asked Angela Rayner, standing in for Keir Starmer.

Ms Rayner however stuck to the government’s standard evasive lines, acknowledging that “the situation in the Middle East is catastrophic” and claiming to be “horrified at the terrible loss of civilian life.

“We are calling at every opportunity for an immediate ceasefire,” she told MPs, urging “Israel to ensure that UNRWA can continue its life-saving work.”

She added that the government had “imposed sanctions in response to appalling incidents of settler violence and suspended export licences for arms following a review that found a clear risk that they may be used to commit or facilitate violations of international law.”