A group of nearly 60 Labour MPs has called on the British government to urgently recognise the State of Palestine and intervene to stop what they describe as Israel’s plans for the “ethnic cleansing” of Gaza’s population.

In a letter addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the MPs condemned Israeli Defence Minister Yisrael Katz’s recent announcement of a plan to forcibly transfer Gaza’s residents into a so-called “camp” on the ruins of Rafah , a move widely seen as a prelude to mass expulsion.

The MPs warned that the plan would effectively confine Palestinians in an area under military control, where those forced in would be denied the right to leave. They cited prominent Israeli human rights lawyer Michael Sfard, who described the blueprint as “an operational plan for committing crimes against humanity.”

The Labour signatories stressed that the time for symbolic gestures had passed. Recognition of Palestinian statehood, they argued, must be coupled with concrete steps to prevent further displacement and uphold international law.

The letter reflects mounting pressure on the UK government to act in the face of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, now marked not only by devastation but by a deepening campaign of forced removal.