London: The Scottish National Party's (SNP) Middle East spokesperson has called on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take decisive action regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza. Brendan O'Hara, in a letter quoted by Scottish daily The National, emphasized the urgent need for the UK government to address what he described as a genocide unfolding in the region.

According to Anadolu Agency, O'Hara outlined specific measures that he believes the UK government should implement. These include imposing a complete arms embargo on Israel, recognizing a Palestinian state, joining the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) prevention of genocide case, and enacting economic sanctions against Israel. He also urged the issuance of a public notice warning UK nationals serving in the Israeli military of potential prosecution for war crimes upon their return.

O'Hara further called for a naval operation to deliver aid to Gaza and stressed the importance of enforcing international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his cabinet. He warned that failing to take these actions would constitute a breach of legal obligations.

In a related development, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie urged both the UK and Scottish Governments to replace military and political support for Israel with sanctions. Harvie criticized the famine facing Gaza as a "man-made crisis" and accused the governments of being complicit in the "late-stage genocide" by allowing Israeli forces to continue their actions against displaced Palestinians.

Harvie demanded an immediate cessation of arms sales and military cooperation with Israel, describing the situation as one of the worst atrocities of the century. He also called on the SNP to support global efforts for boycott, disinvestment, and sanctions, and to end public funding for companies implicated in the conflict.

The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reported that famine in Gaza City had been confirmed as of August 15. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 62,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, leaving the enclave devastated.