JJP lobbies the FCDO, the National Security Adviser and the Canadian and French embassies again.
On 28th July, one month after our previous letter, JJP again wrote to the FCDO, the National Security Adviser and the Canadian and French Embassies about the increasing casualty toll in Gaza. The cumulative evidence of Palestinian casualties made it clear that the Israeli government has utter contempt for the lives of Palestinians, for governments willing to stand up for Palestinian rights, and for the EU.
Our letter
Stephen Hickey, Director, Middle East & North Africa, FCDO 28 July 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 30 June. We now have nine weekly OCHA reports since you issued your joint statement on 19 May. The OCHA data shows the rate of killing and wounding has steadily and considerably increased since then. There was an average of 92 deaths and 491 injuries per day in the week ending 23 July, increases of 69% and 217% above the rate in the two months before 19 May.1
Seventeen days have now elapsed since the “verbal agreement” between EU High Representative Kallas and Israeli Foreign Minister Saar. OCHA has produced two weekly reports since then. The first week’s sharp fall in deaths and injuries at the GHF sites has been completely reversed. Deaths and injuries have risen by 23% and 48% respectively above the average of the six weeks of GHF operation before the “verbal agreement”. Deaths and injuries in all of Gaza have continued to rise to their current rates.1
It is now beyond reasonable doubt that Israel used the “verbal agreement” to play the Commission so that no proposal to hold Israel to account was made at the Council meeting on 15 July, while continuing to apply maximum, lethal pressure on the Palestinians to make them leave Gaza. The Israeli plan to concentrate them into a camp in Rafah before they “voluntarily migrate” to other countries is ethnic cleansing by another name..2
All this makes it clear that the Israeli government has utter contempt for the lives of Palestinians, for governments willing to stand up for Palestinian rights, and for the EU.
To reiterate some of what we said in our previous letters:
If our countries, and the EU, do not face down this Israeli government, it will be further emboldened to ethnically cleanse Gaza and take 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 would be devastating. The deaths and destruction would increase still further as the IDF starts to use live fire to force the Palestinians over the borders. Egypt and Jordan could be put under immense pressure to accept expelled Palestinians by the threat of withdrawing American aid. The Palestinians of Gaza could well actually be destroyed.
Very strong sanctions will be necessary to compel Israel to change course. They will 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. Our countries should not be deterred by yesterday’s Israeli concession of “tactical pauses”, made only because of the mounting international revulsion at its actions.
We urge you to take these action now.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Goodman
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Officer
c.c.
Felix Fabiny, First Secretary, Delegation of the European Union
His Excellency Mr Stephen Francis Smith, High Commissioner of Australia
1. Our updated spreadsheet making these calculations based on the OCHA data is also attached to our email.
2. https://www.timesofisrael.com/katz-calls-for-confining-all-gazans-in-humanitarian-city-built-over-rafahs-ruins/