JJP lobbies the FCDO, the National Security Adviser and the Canadian and French embassies again.
On 30 June 2025, JJP again wrote to FCDO, the National Security Adviser and the Canadian and French Embassies about the increasing casualty toll in Gaza. This followed up our previous letter with a further four weeks of United Nations OCHA data showing the increasing rate of Palestinian deaths and injuries since the three countries issued their joint statement in 19 May 2025. This data makes it clear that the Israeli government has utter contempt for the lives of Palestinians, and for any country that speaks up for their rights.
Our letter
Stephen Hickey, Director, Middle East & North Africa, FCDO 30 June 2025
Jonathan Powell, National Security Adviser
Katrina Burgess, Political Counsellor, Canadian High Commission
Hugo Delcher, Political Counsellor, French Embassy
Dear Mr. Hickey, Mr. Powell, Ms. Burgess and Mr. Delcher,
We are writing to update the data on Palestinians casualties in Gaza that we sent you in our letter of 2 June. The weekly United Nations OCHA reports show the rate of killing and wounding has steadily and considerably increased in the five weeks from when you issued your joint statement on 19 May up to 25 June. There was an average of 74 deaths and 337 injuries per day in the week ending 25 June, increases of 36% and 118% above the rate in the two months before 19 May.1
A big part of this increase has been due to the Israeli-American Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The current OCHA report states ”Mass casualties have continued to be reported daily over the past 30 days, after non-UN militarized distribution sites started to operate in Gaza, as people approached or gathered near these sites or waited on routes designated by the Israeli authorities for the UN to collect trucks carrying aid.” More than 540 people were reported killed and more than 4,000 injured in those circumstances. “The majority of the casualties have been shot or shelled trying to reach US-Israeli distribution sites purposefully set up in militarized zones.”2
Replacing the near 400 former UN aid distribution sites with four GHF sites, only two of which are typically open at any one time, has inevitably caused the repeated crush of people desperate for food. Moreover, as the opening times are unpredictable, people start going to the sites in early morning darkness in the hope of getting some aid.
The Israeli army always says the troops felt threatened by the crush. The troops supposedly fire warning shots above the crowd, but scores of people are mysteriously shot – not only by rifle fire but also by mortars, heavy machine guns or tank fire. The army says it will investigate, time and time again.
It is a Kafkaesque system that could have been designed to break the will of the Palestinians to remain on their land, in furtherance of the expressed wish of important Israeli government ministers to empty Gaza of its population. We now know from Haaretz, at the very least, that much of the firing at people is deliberate.3
All this makes it clear that the Israeli government has utter contempt for the lives of Palestinians, and certainly for the joint statement demanding respect for their lives made by our three countries on 19 May.
To repeat some of what we said in our previous letters:
If we don’t face down this Israeli government, it will be further emboldened to continue ethnically cleansing Gaza and taking more and more of the West Bank. The credibility of our governments’ commitment to international law will be badly eroded, perhaps fatally.
The consequences for the Palestinians will be devastating. The deaths and destruction will increase still further as the IDF starts to use live fire to force the Palestinians over the borders. The Palestinians of Gaza may well actually be destroyed.
Very strong sanctions will be necessary to compel Israel to change course. They will actually have to hurt Israel. They should include suspending tariff-free status of all Israeli exports to our countries; immobilising any Israeli foreign exchange reserves held in any of our countries, as has been done to Russia; suspending all arms exports to Israel, and refusing entry to all Israeli government ministers and senior military officers. Weaker sanctions will not suffice.
We urge you to take these action now.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Goodman
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Officer
1. Our updated spreadsheet making these calculations based on the OCHA data is also attached to our email.
3. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-27/ty-article-magazine/.premium/idf-soldiers-ordered-to-shoot-deliberately-at-unarmed-gazans-waiting-for-humanitarian-aid/00000197-ad8e-de01-a39f-ffbe33780000