Layla Moran: My fears for my family trapped by snipers in Gaza’s Catholic church

Some of my relatives have been trapped there since October, writes the MP Layla Moran – food is running out and they can’t move from one room to another for fear of being shot

‘On 16 December, two women were shot inside the complex. One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety’ (AFP via Getty)

My mother is Palestinian, and we are proud Jerusalemites. But we also have relatives in Gaza City. I should stress this isn’t just about caring about Christians. We are Palestinians together. Whatever faith. And this is but one story.

They have been sheltering in a Church compound, the Holy Family Parish, since October. One member of the family has already died after he became ill and couldn’t get to a hospital. Another became ill after drinking contaminated water.

The situation has been awful for more than two months now, with the humanitarian crisis growing ever more acute, but in recent days the danger has escalated even more.

Over the last week, we heard more reports of firing around the church complex. A bin collector and janitor were shot outside and their bodies lay in the road.

On 16 December two women were shot inside the complex. One was killed as she tried to carry the other to safety.

One sniper has now grown to four, surrounding the compound and pointing into the church buildings.

The people sheltering are living in Sunday school classrooms, and can’t move from one room to another – even to go to the toilet – for fear of being shot.

They are, of course, terrified. The family manage to have snatched phone conversations every couple of days to confirm they are alive.

The food is running out and they are down to their last can of corn.

The Pope is right. All the people in the building are civilians. Not terrorists, not collateral damage, not insurgents. There are women and children, disabled people; no one with any connection to Hamas.

Before the hostilities started, there were nuns, priests, and 54 disabled people living in the church. Now the numbers have grown to over 300 as the community sought refuge when the conflict began.

The Christian community in Gaza is small, and everyone knows each other. I have heard from those in the church that only people who the priests already knew were allowed in.

Over the weekend the IDF called the father and said there would be two hours without any shooting. That offered some respite, and allowed for families living in different parts of the church to at least see one another and know they were still alive.

But if the IDF are aware of this situation – if they are able to call for a pause in the shooting – why can’t they call off the snipers entirely?

Spokespeople for the IDF have been quick to deny any involvement in the women who were shot. But their statements seem to refer to the wrong part of Gaza City.

I’ve seen pictures of the bodies and heard audio notes from witnesses. I am certain about what happened. So is Cardinal Nichols of Westminster.

We must ensure that International Humanitarian Law is upheld, and that where there are breaches, those are fully investigated. I am urging all the families to submit evidence to the ICC who I am in touch with.

Earlier this month I wrote to the prime minister urging him to publish in full the government’s legal advice on possible breaches of international humanitarian law in this conflict.

The UK has an important role to play in ensuring that the system of international humanitarian law we helped to establish is respected – especially in such an awful conflict – to protect innocent civilians and save lives.

The people of Israel and Palestine have a right to live free from fear. The UK and its partners in the international community cannot allow a return to the status quo ante.

If we are intent on helping to bring the violence to an end once and for all then it is for countries like ours, which have long-standing ties to the region and are deeply implicated in the origins of this conflict, to take a leading role in bringing about lasting peace and a two-state solution.

I am glad that the government position seems to be shifting, but it is not enough and it needs to be backed up by action.

We need to get to the immediate bilateral ceasefire which my party, the Liberal Democrats, have been calling for, for weeks. That means getting the aid in and hostages out – but also, crucially, the space for political negotiations. Negotiations aimed at ultimately delivering that political solution: Hamas out of Gaza, two states and a lasting peace.

It may take a staged approach to get there – cessations, extensions, a permanent ceasefire, and then negotiations. It will require pressure from the international community and from the UN. There is a vital role in particular for Gulf and Arab countries to play, especially those who operate back channels to Hamas and its political leadership in Qatar.

Peace is never easy, but that does not mean we shouldn’t try. We owe it to the children of Palestine and Israel.

Layla Moran is the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon