London – Tuesday, 3 June 2025

The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) has submitted an urgent legal briefing to Members of the UK Parliament titled: “Weaponising Aid: An Urgent Legal Briefing to Parliament on Israel’s Crimes in Gaza.”

This step comes in light of the escalating systematic violations committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against civilians in the Gaza Strip, most notably the deliberate starvation policy and the transformation of humanitarian aid into a weapon of war used for political blackmail and collective punishment.

The briefing highlights the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the Strip, with the United Nations designating Gaza as “the hungriest place on Earth,” and famine reaching unprecedented levels in the north of the enclave. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), over one million Palestinians are now facing imminent starvation.

The document also addressed the recent massacres in Rafah, where Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting in line for food assistance, killing dozens. It also cited the call by UN Secretary-General António Guterres for an immediate and independent investigation into these crimes.

PRC stated: “Israel’s actions in Gaza cannot be separated from a broader system of systematic violations that amount to acts of genocide under international law. The use of humanitarian aid as a weapon—whether through starvation, restricted access, or the targeting of aid distribution points—constitutes a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

The Centre added that the briefing is part of its ongoing efforts to urge UK lawmakers to fulfil their legal and moral responsibilities. These include calling for an immediate ceasefire, supporting the establishment of an independent and impartial aid mechanism, suspending military cooperation with Israel, and pressing the UK government to uphold its international obligations—particularly as public opposition across Britain continues to grow in response to the ongoing assault.

PRC concluded by stating that this is a defining moment for MPs to demonstrate the will of the British public, which has been protesting in the hundreds of thousands across the country for over a year and a half. Remaining silent, or continuing support for a government that systematically starves and targets civilians, amounts to complicity that can no longer be legally or morally justified.