UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – British Jewish leaders call for rapid Gaza aid, saying recent relief is overdue amid rising concern over the humanitarian crisis.
As reported by the Guardian, Britain’s leading Jewish group called for swift, sustained Gaza aid, marking a rare indirect rebuke of Israeli policy.
The Board of Deputies met on Tuesday to address rising concern over Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis. British Jews are increasingly alarmed as children suffer and parents die trying to find food.
What did Phil Rosenberg say about Gaza aid and Israel’s response?
Phil Rosenberg, head of the Board of Deputies, released a statement after the meeting, stating that the limited aid allowed by Israel under international pressure was “long overdue.”
He said,
“The suffering we are witnessing in the Gaza Strip demands a response. The new measures announced by Israeli authorities to address the humanitarian crisis are essential, if long overdue.”
Mr Rosenberg added,
“We need to see a rapid, uninhibited, and sustained increase in aid through all available channels, and we need to see all agencies cooperating in this endeavour. As we have been saying for months, food must not be used as a weapon of war, by any side in this conflict.”
In his statement, he reaffirmed the board’s support for a two-state solution to the conflict.
Mr Rosenberg also warned that Britain’s plan to recognise Palestine without a deal could prioritise symbolism over substance.
The board’s
“primary concern regarding the government’s announcement is to avoid empowering or rewarding Hamas, or giving it incentives to continue evading a ceasefire.”
The statement stated,
“It is clear that our community overwhelmingly rejects the appalling rhetoric and unacceptable proposals from some Israeli ministers, particularly in relation to the forced displacement of Gazans, as well as the intolerable violence perpetrated by extremist settlers in the West Bank, all of which are in complete contradiction to our values.”
The war in Gaza is having serious consequences for Israelis and UK Jews,
“including through the unacceptable proliferation of hatred and discrimination directed at Jews in this country.”
His remarks came after the board took disciplinary action against 36 elected members who had slammed Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Ahead of Tuesday’s emergency meeting, several deputies wrote to the board, urging it to call on Israel to end the humanitarian crisis. They warned in their letter,
“Nothing could be more damaging to the British Jewish community than staying silent in this moment.”
What did Marie van der Zyl say about Gaza and Jewish values?
Marie van der Zyl, the board’s ex-president, said the scale of hunger and suffering in the Gaza conflict with core Jewish values.
She stated,
“Hunger and human suffering, on this scale, are incompatible with the core values of our faith,”
urging
“urgent action to alleviate the conditions affecting civilians in Gaza. This is not a time for silence. It is a time for compassion.”
Rabbis’ views on Israel’s role in the Gaza crisis
Over 400 rabbis, including leading UK voices like Jonathan Wittenberg, called on the Israeli government to end its “callous indifference to starvation”.
In their letter, they warned that
“the Jewish people face a grave moral crisis. We cannot condone the mass killings of civilians, including a great many women, children, and the elderly, or the use of starvation as a weapon of war.”
How did Progressive Judaism respond to the Gaza crisis?
The co-leaders of Progressive Judaism, in an open letter, described the situation in Gaza as incompatible with their religious values. They insisted it was “not in our name” and contradicted “the Judaism we teach, live, and pass on.”
Jewish News, a prominent UK Jewish publication, declared in an editorial titled “Jewish moral clarity means saying: Enough” that the ongoing war in Gaza must come to an end without delay.
Keir Starmer’s views on recognising Palestine now
Keir Starmer said the worsening crisis in Gaza and the fading hope for peace meant it was time to take action.
He stated,
“Ultimately, the only way to bring this humanitarian crisis to an end is through a long-term settlement. Our goal remains a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state, but right now, that goal is under pressure like never before.”
Mr Starmer added,
“I have always said that we will recognise a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process, at the moment of maximum impact for the two-state solution. With that solution now under threat, this is the moment to act.”
Child deaths from hunger in Gaza
- Since April 2025, 80 children have died from malnutrition, a 54% rise.
- In July 2025 alone, 24 children under five died from hunger.
- Since October 2023, 88 children in Gaza have died from starvation.
- Most deaths happened recently due to aid restrictions.