UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said the civilian deaths and humanitarian destruction in Gaza cannot be justified by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. While saying he condemned the attack in the strongest terms, Miliband argued that the two developments should not be regarded as justifications for one another.
Miliband said that approximately 1,200 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza since the period described as a ceasefire. In a record dated September 8, 2026, in the UK Parliament, he also said that the crisis in Gaza was continuing and that more than 1,200 Palestinians had lost their lives approximately one year after the ceasefire was declared.
He pointed to responsibility for the humanitarian crisis
Miliband said the humanitarian situation in Gaza had worsened because of decisions by the Israeli government. Arguing that the crisis cannot be viewed solely as the result of past conflicts, Miliband said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza must be brought to an end and accountability mechanisms must be put into operation.
While Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack and the taking of hostages were condemned, the civilian deaths and humanitarian destruction in Gaza were described as unacceptable. Miliband’s approach placed condemnation of the attack and criticism of what happened in Gaza within the same political framework.
From October 7 to the post-ceasefire period
Approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 people were taken hostage in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. The attack is described as the starting point of the war that began in Gaza, while civilian deaths and the need for humanitarian aid remained at the center of international debate in the period that followed.
The UK’s stated position included the unconditional release of the hostages held by Hamas, the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the establishment of a sustainable ceasefire. Parliamentary debates in 2024 also condemned Hamas’s attacks and the taking of hostages, while calling for an end to civilian deaths in Gaza and guarantees for access to aid.
The ceasefire arrangement that took effect in October 2025 aimed to end the fighting in Gaza. However, Miliband said Palestinians continued to be killed after the ceasefire. His assessment kept alive the debate over whether the ceasefire had provided a full and lasting end to hostilities on the ground.
The UK’s Gaza policy
Miliband also argued that the parties should move toward a lasting peace process. The UK government’s position is based on pursuing together the condemnation of the Hamas attack, the release of the hostages, the delivery of humanitarian aid and calls for a sustainable ceasefire.
The statement therefore showed that the UK’s Gaza policy does not establish a justification relationship between the October 7 attack and civilian deaths in Gaza. The deaths reported after the ceasefire and the continuing humanitarian problems indicated that the UK government does not consider the situation in Gaza a closed matter.
