NASUWT condemns the escalating violence and the deep humanitarian crisis in Gaza and stands in solidarity with children, teachers and educators in Israel and Palestine and all those affected by the violence and extends condolences to those who have lost loved ones.

NASUWT supports the United Nations' call for an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian relief and the safe release of all hostages unharmed.

We stand with the millions at home and around the world who are peacefully protesting for a ceasefire and respect for human rights.

We demand that international law is respected and upheld.

We are deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where civilians and children lack access to food, water, electricity and fuel. NASUWT calls on the UK government and the international community to demand safe and immediate access to humanitarian aid.

We are particularly concerned about the devastating impact on children due to the escalation of violence. Every child has the right to live in safety and security, free from violence and hatred.

Thousands of Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed and many more injured due to Israeli military operations. Public infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, has been targeted and almost the entire population of Gaza has been forcibly displaced, whilst aid workers have been killed while doing their jobs.

The UN warns of imminent famine in Gaza, with children already dying from starvation. Access to humanitarian aid is still obstructed and aid workers have been targeted. Israel has been accused of using starvation as a weapon of war, prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. The Israeli government must allow UNRWA to continue providing humanitarian aid across Gaza.

We are also deeply concerned about increased settler violence and the forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank. The Israeli government’s accelerated settlement expansion violates international law and amounts to de facto annexation.

The UK government must:

• Call for an immediate ceasefire to prevent further loss of life and enable prompt and effective access to humanitarian aid, with funding to UNRWA resumed;

• take action with the international community to ensure international law is upheld and applied consistently, including ending the occupation of Palestinian territory;

• insist that Israel complies with the ICJ's binding provisional measures and ensure it is not complicit in war crimes;

• end UK arms sales to Israel and military industrial collaboration;

• recognise the State of Palestine;

• halt trade talks with Israel;

• ban the UK’s trade in settlement goods;

• protect the right to peaceful protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

We deplore the increase in anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism and oppose those using these events to incite division in the UK. We stand with all working people, their families and communities against attempts to divide us.

NASUWT supports efforts toward a just, lasting and comprehensive peace consistent with international law, based on a two-state solution that promotes equality, democracy and respect for human and labour rights. We remain committed to working with colleagues in the trade union movement in Israel, Palestine, the UK and internationally to achieve these objectives.

NASUWT is committed to collaborating with Education International, the TUC, STUC, ICTU, TUCC and relevant civil society and humanitarian organisations in calling for peace.