JJP writes to all MPS about Israel’s continuing plan to expel Palestinian from Gaza
On 26 January 2026, JJP wrote to all MPS about Israel’s continuing plan to expel Palestinans from Gaza. This is associated with Israel’s continual attempts to sabotage the three-month old ceasefire in a pattern of almost daily attacks. Yet, at the same time, our government is plannng to restart the free-trade negotiations with Israel that it suspended last May in response to Israel’s horrific, continuing indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Gaza.
Our letter is below
26 January 2026
Dear MP
We are writing to you because Israel still appears intent on making life in Gaza so difficult that Palestinians will “voluntarily” emigrate. This is associated with Israel’s continual attempts to sabotage the three-month old ceasefire in a pattern of almost daily attacks. Yet, at the same time, our government is plannng to restart the free-trade negotiations with Israel that it suspended last May in response to Israel’s horrific, continuing indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Gaza.
Israeli plans to expel Palestinians
The signs of the “voluntary emigration” strategy have been present for many months. Following the steadfast refusal of Egypt and Jordan to take in expelled Palestinians, the Associated Press reported last March that “The U.S. and Israel have reached out to officials of three East African governments to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for moving Palestinians uprooted from the Gaza Strip under President Donald Trump’s proposed postwar plan.” Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway Somali province of Somaliland were named.1
On 26 December, Israel recognised Somaliland. Israel is the only country to have done so, a move that has not been welcomed anywhere. There is a well-founded suspicion that, in return for recognition, Somaliland has agreed to take in Palestinians forced out of Gaza. In a classic non-denial denial, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, told Israel’s Channel 14 that the forcible displacement of Palestinians to Somaliland “was not part of our agreement”.2
Sabotaging the ceasefire
Within a week of the ceasefire being announced, Israel refused to reopen the Rafah Crossing and limited entry of aid. It said that was retaliation for Hamas not delivering the bodies of all the deceased hostages, yet the extreme difficulty of finding and extracting bodies in the rubble Israel has created was well understood and acknowledged.3
Israel later resumed bombing and artillery shelling, supposedly because Hamas fighters fired at Israeli soldiers while the soldiers were dismantling Hamas tunnels, or as Defence Minister Katz put it, “dismantle(ing) terrorist infrastructure”. However, dismantling the tunnels is an aggressive military activity even though it does not involve use of weapons. Ceasfires do not allow one party to unilaterally destroy the enemy’s infrastructure. It was a provocation.
Subsequently, Israel’s attempted sabotage revolved around the Hamas fighters stranded in tunnels behind the “Yellow Line”. Israel claims to have killed about 40 of them by collapsing tunnels and shooting at groups that try to escape to the Hamas-controlled part of Gaza. That broke the spirit of the ceasefire agreement. Ceasefire agreements do not allow one party to kill enemy troops that are stranded on the wrong side of the ceasefire line. It also broke the letter of the agreeement, which states: “All military operations, including aerial and artillery bombardment and targeting operations, will be suspended.”3 Hamas sought an agreement to allow the fighters to leave the tunnels and return to the Hamas-controlled part of Gaza. Israel refused and insisted on surrender and imprisonment.4 Ceasefire agreements do not allow one party to imprison enemy troops any more than they allow them to be killed. The remaining fighters are believed to have escaped in separate groups in early December.5
Israel has also bombed the homes of Hamas commanders and their families. Two such attacks took place on 14 and 15 January, exactly when President Trump was about to announce Phase 2 of his Peace Agreement.6,7 Little could have been more obviously intended to provoke Hamas into breaking the ceasefire.
Continuing attacks and restriction of aid
Israel has mounted attacks on 82 of the 97 days of the ceasefire up to 14 January, killing some 450 people (including more than 100 children) and injuring some 1,250 by airstrilkes, shelling or gunfire.The Palestinians have recovered more than 700 bodies from under the rubble.8, 9 Attacks have often been on individuals or small groups, often children, who unknowingly stray over the hard-to-discern “Yellow Line” separating the Hamas-controlled part of Gaza from the Israeli-controlled part, or who stray too near Israeli positions.10
Although barely sufficient food aid is finally being allowed in, restrictions on shelter, site-reclamation and building materials continue to keep living conditions in a precarious and dangerous state, even allowing for the majority in Gaza now living in tents.9
Israel’s decision to ban 37 international aid agencies from continuing to work in Gaza or the West Bank is another attempt to reduce the assistance available to Palestinians. The reason given, of the agencies refusal to abide by new registration rules designed to weed out Hamas supporters, is no more convincing than Israel’s past claims of Hamas infiltration of UNRWA.
British government plans to reopen free-trade negotiations
Despite all this, speaking in the House of Lords on 9 January, Treasury Minister Lord Stockwood said the free-trade talks can restart after Phase 2 of the ceasefire agreement is put in place.11 We believe that would be entirely wrong in the context of Israel’s actions. The declaration by President Trump of starting Phase 2 of his Peace Plan, does not mean that Israel will accept the plan in good faith, much less stop breaking the ceaserfire.
Israel would take resumption of the free-trade talks now, or any normalisation of relations, as proof that it can continue on its present path without suffereing consequences. We urge you to demand that our government does not resume free-trade talks in the current circumstances.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur Goodman
Parliamentary and Diplomatic Liaison Officer
Notes
4. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-reportedly-offers-trapped-hamas-fighters-in-rafah-chance-to-surrender-relocate/
5. https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2025/12/03/scores-of-hamas-fighters-escape-from-tunnels-under-israels-nose/
6. https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-says-senior-officer-killed-in-gaza-strike-accuses-israel-of-breaching-ceasefire/
7. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hamas-chief-negotiator-says-israels-102949197.html?
8. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/1/17/live-gaza-death-toll-rises-by-israeli-raids-trump-names-board-of-peace?
9. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-353-gaza-strip
11. https://www.thejc.com/news/politics/government-signals-israel-trade-talks-will-resume-after-phase-two-of-gaza-ceasefire-cfuczvl7