THE situation in Gaza is a tragedy of epic proportions. Since MPs voted against an SNP proposed ceasefire in November in the House of Commons, Palestinian health authorities have reported that more than 28,000 Palestinian children, women and men have been killed. Huge swathes of Gaza have been obliterated, including hospitals and family homes.

While every nation has the inherent right to defend its citizens, as Israel has done in response to the brutal and deplorable acts undertaken by Hamas militants, I am aghast at the scorched earth campaign in Gaza conducted by the Israeli military. It is reported that nearly 8,000 children have been killed and the population is facing a growing humanitarian crisis, as blockades on food, water and medicine leave families on the brink of starvation and struggling to survive.

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There is simply nowhere safe in Gaza. Gaza is smaller than my own constituency and there are 1.4 million displaced people trying to survive in a tiny section of it. They are in unimaginable peril. It is unprecedented, desperate, overwhelming.

This week, the SNP are again bringing a vote to Westminster calling for an immediate ceasefire. I will be watching how Labour’s two Scottish MPs vote. Last November, many Labour MPs in England did not follow the party line and voted for an SNP call for an immediate ceasefire. However, the two Scottish MPs did not even bother to cast a vote calling for a ceasefire. All Scottish Tory MPs voted against a ceasefire, with the exception of Douglas Ross, who didn’t bother to vote.

The leaders of the UN, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many of our European neighbours, are among the world leaders calling for an immediate ceasefire.

This is a complex situation and facts are difficult to verify. But too many people on both sides have died. The situation in Gaza right now is dire and we must be on the right side of history and vote for an immediate ceasefire.