United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has fired a minister, Tory MP Paul Bristow, for calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Truetells Nigeria understands Bristow left his job as a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology after urging Mr Sunak to back a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
According to UK Express, Bristow said Palestinian civilians were facing “collective punishment” as a result of Israel’s siege and campaign of airstrikes in the wake of Hamas’s attack.
Bristow’s letter, dated Thursday (October 26), was reported to have been deleted from his website but remains on Facebook.
The Map reportedly accompanied an image of the letter on social media with the comment Palestinians should not “suffer collective punishment for the crimes of Hamas” – an action which could be deemed a war crime.
In the letter, he said, “A permanent ceasefire would save lives and allow for a continued column of humanitarian aid (to) reach the people who need it the most.
“The brutal Hamas attacks against innocent civilians are unforgivable. Hostages need to be released. It is challenging to understand how the present strategy of bombing Gaza will lead to the release of hostages.”
Bristow added that “ordinary people” were “not Hamas”, with the group’s attacks on Israel condemned as “brutal” and “unforgivable.”