SNP MPs call for investigation into Israeli airstrikes on UK civilians.
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The airstrike - on January 18, 2024 - hit a residential compound housing members of the Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and International Rescue Committee (IRC) Emergency Medical Team (EMT), as well as Palestinian civilians and their families. The compound was in Al Mawasi, one of Gaza’s so-called “safe zones”.
The compound was attacked after its coordinates had been shared with the Israeli military through the UN deconfliction process and registered as a ‘sensitive site’ by the Israeli military. A UN investigation has since confirmed that the attack involved a GBU32 (MK83) missile package, fired from an F16 jet. F16 jets include parts supplied by the UK.
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Hide AdMr Day said: “My SNP colleagues and I condemn this unacceptable attack, which is one of many on health and related facilities. We need a full, independent and timebound investigation into this Israeli airstrike on civilians, including British doctors who had bravely travelled to Gaza to support health care workers in providing emergency and life-saving medical care.
“If the UK government wishes to continue to argue that it is a good global citizen, then it must uphold the protection of civilians in war zones as obligated by international humanitarian law and carry out an systematic inquiry into the Israeli military’s actions on 18 January.
“More than anything though, we need an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza to gain safety and security for both Palestinian and Israeli citizens.”
As a result of the attack, the EMT – comprising MAP and IRC surgeons and other essential staff – were forced to suspend their medical work at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has since declared that the hospital is “not functional anymore”.