I saw the devastation in Gaza first-hand – but there was also hope

The Israel-Gaza war and the conflict throughout the Middle East is a deep concern for my constituents. Take a walk through Leith and you will see many Palestinian flags, and signs of support for peace and resolution.

It is also an issue that has been raised by many of my constituents, with a quarter of my casework focused on Gaza and finding a peaceful resolution.

This week, I had the privilege of meeting with communities, activists and experts in the Gaza envelope, the West Bank, and Jerusalem as part of a delegation organised by Yachad.

Yachad is a British-Jewish organisation working with a range of human rights organisations and leading experts in the region to advocate for human rights, democracy and peace in Israel and Palestine.

Visiting the Nova festival site, it is devastating to think of the terror those young people dancing at a music festival must have felt as Hamas invaded the site – and looking across to what remains of Gaza, the fear of innocent women and children as bombs rained down on them.

I will never forget the stories and courage of the young people and families I met who were affected by October 7, including some hostage families. These meetings gave me insight into how these communities were not only impacted by October 7, but the process they have gone through in trying to recover from trauma, and the fight to see their loved ones return from captivity.

It was during this time that I had the chance to speak to Avi Dabush, the chief executive for Rabbis for Human Rights. Avi hid in a shelter during the Hamas attack on his town on October 7 and, despite the trauma he and his community have experienced, continues to be an advocate for peace and human rights for Palestinians. This gave me hope.

During our visit we met with the Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa. The focus of this meeting was to discuss how the Prime Minister can be a viable alternative to Hamas in Gaza and support the rebuilding work which will support the movement towards an agreement between Israel and Palestinians.

In the discussion, the Prime Minister stood by his commitment to a two-state solution, and affirmed that support with regional allies is of most importance as we work towards peace. Now the Prime Minister controls the West Bank, though this control is limited by the reality of the occupation. Through a two-state solution the limits of his control which are in place could be lifted, giving a true voice to the Palestinians.

When visiting the West Bank, I was able to hear first-hand accounts about the forced displacement of Palestinians as a result of settler violence as well as direct action by the current far-right Israeli government. I met with ordinary Palestinian families who face constant violence and uncertainty.

They are peaceful people, farmers, trying to make a living and provide for their families. Their children harassed by settlers, on their way to and from school each day.

We saw evidence of cars and homes being burned and damaged. I even witnessed a school funded by UK Aid that had been destroyed, along with water supplies and roads. This makes it nearly impossible for Palestinian families to stay or, indeed, seek justice or protection from armed Israeli forces.

This has an economic impact and with unemployment increasing, poverty and hardship is clear to see.

Work permits for Palestinians are hard to get with freezes imposed by the Israeli Government. For those who have permits, the daily struggle of even getting to work is precarious, having to wait for hours at check points, the number of which grows each day, this alone takes so much determination and effort.

Across all the places I visited, it became clear that the worst-affected areas face an urgent need for aid. This is why I believe the UK government must listen to the rulings made by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Until we have a two-state solution with clearly defined borders, trade and investments within Occupied Palestinian territories – or in other words, with illegal settlements – should be paused. This makes a clear distinction between the state of Israel and the settlements.

Action would put financial and political pressure on those in power and make it clear the international community is watching what is happening in the West Bank.

We must also continue to support the many Israelis and Palestinians NGOs fighting for change – for peace, democracy and equality for all.

Based on everything I have seen and heard; I am more convinced than ever that a two-state solution is vital to ending this horrific war and bringing peace to Gaza and the wider Middle East. It will not happen overnight, but it must be our end goal.

The alternative is endless war, destruction, and suffering. I have met with people – Israelis and Palestinians – who have suffered so much from this conflict – and those same people are the ones that gave me hope that we can and must help create a better future.

Tracy Gilbert is the Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith.