SOUTH Belfast MP Claire Hanna has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer to implement further sanctions on Israel.
The party leader was speaking in the House of Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
Ms Hanna raised the experience of her constituents, Omar and Dalal Alshaqaqi, who have lost close family members during recent Israeli air strikes.
“Many of us have the spent the past year looking on in horror at the genocide unfolding in Gaza and the unthinkable loss of civilian life," she said.
My constituents Omar & Delma have tried for months to get family to safety from Gaza. Last week they received news they’ve dreaded, that relatives were killed & injured. Situation is getting worse not better & while UK Gov cannot ‘fix’ this they must do so much more than they are pic.twitter.com/hgv2hlgVQ0
— Claire Hanna (@ClaireHanna) December 11, 2024
"While we have the luxury of turning off our televisions or closing social media apps, for Palestinians each day is a living nightmare.
“This is not solely something that impacts people thousands of miles away. On Thursday my constituents Omar and Dalal Alshaqaqi, who serve South Belfast as a doctor and a classroom assistant, received news they have dreaded for many months.
"Dalal’s mother and brother were among 23 Gazans killed in their tents in Al Mawasi, a so-called humanitarian zone, by an Israeli air strike. Other family members are fighting for their lives within a barely functioning health system.
“Today I urged the Prime Minister to hold Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli Government accountable for their crimes.
"We need to see full sanctions on arms, trade and officials and the recognition of the state of Palestine to provide hope to those living in Gaza under bombardment every single day.
"The UK government must also do more to support people like Omar and Dalal fighting tirelessly to get their family members out of Gaza. Doing nothing as this situation continues to deteriorate cannot be an option and we will continue pushing the PM.”
