I’ve coordinated a letter to the Foreign Secretary, signed by 84 Parliamentarians, which urges the government to protect the Global Sumud Flotilla. We are calling on her to raise this situation with her Israeli counterpart and make it clear that no harm must come to the flotilla or the British citizens aboard.

The Government has a duty to protect all those onboard and uphold the right and duty of civil society to engage in peaceful non-violent initiatives. It has a particular duty to protect the thirteen British citizens and three ships sailing under a British flag as part of the flotilla.

In recent days, we have seen a series of attacks on these vessels as they sail to deliver aid to Gaza. On Tuesday night, activists on the flotilla reported drones circling the ships, multiple explosions and a communications blackout. Earlier this month, a ship was struck by a drone at Tunisia’s Sidi Bou Said port, causing fire damage on the main deck. Activists are anticipating further intimidation attempts as they head closer to Gaza.

We have also seen social media posts this week from Israeli government accounts suggesting that the flotilla is “intended to serve Hamas” and accusing participants of “pursuing a violent course of action”. This should raise alarm bells. Creating false narratives that malign humanitarians as terrorists is something Israel has frequently done to justify violence.

We need to be clear that the people sailing on the Global Sumud Flotilla are journalists, healthcare professionals, aid workers, lawyers and activists. They are attempting to do what the international community has systematically failed to do: break Israel’s siege and ensure that aid reaches starving people in Gaza.

Our Government must do everything in its power to push Israel to end the genocide that continues in Gaza. This means supporting initiatives like the Global Sumud Flotilla, which seeks to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza and deliver aid to starving people. It also means ending arms sales to Israel, suspending military cooperation and imposing comprehensive sanctions on Israel’s leaders and economy.