In a powerful rebuke of international silence, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has broken ranks with British leadership, calling for an urgent shift in the UK’s stance on Gaza. As thousands in the besieged Strip endure starvation, displacement and relentless bombardment, Khan stated that empty words are no longer enough in the face of what he called “horrific and senseless killing.”

Khan’s message reflects the deepening outrage across the UK, especially among those who see their government’s position as complicit through inaction. He demanded that Britain not only intensify pressure on Israel to stop its assault but also formally recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, a move that would signal more than symbolic solidarity with a people on the brink of erasure.

“There can be no talk of a two-state solution,” he warned, “if the very idea of a Palestinian state is being bombed out of existence before our eyes.” His words come as Gaza’s health system collapses, aid remains blocked, and civilians continue to suffer under one of the most prolonged and brutal military campaigns of the modern era.

For many Palestinians, Khan’s voice cuts through a wall of international indifference. But they know that unless his words are matched by decisive political action, they will remain just that, words.