Hamish Falconer pictured with Israeli politician who backs starving Gaza
Golan is leader of Israel's Democrat party and a reserve aluf (General) in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
READ MORE: Stephen Flynn accuses Labour of leaving Scots with 'bloody noses' over fiscal rules
He was found guilty of ordering the use of Palestinians as human shields in 2007 and has previously said that Israel's starvation of Gaza is "completely legitimate".
He was named in South African submission to the United Nations 'relating to the State of Israel's intent and incitement to commit genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza'.
The submission states: 'On 13 October 2023, Reserve Major General Yair Golan was quoted by the Israeli press as stating that: 'We should tell them: listen, until [the hostages are] released, from our side you will starve to death. This is completely legitimate.''
Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is a war crime under international law.
In a post on social media after the meeting had taken place, Falconer said: "There must be an immediate ceasefire and the return of all hostages held by Hamas as a first step towards long-term peace.
"Productive meeting with @YairGolan1 today. We agreed there must be a just plan for Gaza to ensure long term security for both Israelis and Palestinians."
There must be an immediate ceasefire and the return of all hostages held by Hamas as a first step towards long-term peace.
Productive meeting with @YairGolan1 today. We agreed there must be a just plan for Gaza to ensure long term security for both Israelis and Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/T1NZhy5NC3 — Hamish Falconer MP (@HFalconerMP) July 10, 2025
The tweet was shared by Golan, who wrote: "The world is interested in the return of the hostages, the end of the war, the rehabilitation of Israel and Gaza without Hamas, and a comprehensive regional arrangement."
This is not the first time Golan has met with Labour MPs. The Israeli politician attended the Labour Party conference last September, where he was pictured meeting Falconer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
And he recently met with a number of Labour MPs who visited Israel on a lobbying trip, despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
READ MORE: Angela Rayner suspended from Unite over Birmingham bin strike
The meeting comes as at least 18 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since dawn.
Israel's brutal assault on Gaza has now killed at least 57,762 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, most of whom were women and children.
On Friday, Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), accused Israel of engineering the "most cruel and Machiavellian scheme to kill" in Gaza, after nine children were killed while waiting in line for food supplements.
In a post on Twitter/X, Lazzarini said that Gaza had become "the graveyard of children and starving people".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why Angela Rayner's comments on summer riots are part of a power play
At least three times now, Angela Rayner has given a major TV interview where she has insisted she does not want to be prime minister. The problem for the deputy prime minister, however, is that her rejections of the crown are not very convincing. And if there is a reason why nobody in Westminster really believes the deputy prime minister in regards to her own ambitions, the intervention on Tuesday during the final cabinet meeting before the summer recess underlined it. Her warning about a summer of riots, linking them to economic woes and failures on controlling migration appeared to be a masterclass of political timing and messaging. At the same time, though, there is surprise among her allies that the normally dull cabinet briefing used her 'spicier language' in a way which has drawn criticism of her. But whether Ms Rayner was happy with the reporting of it or not, there was no doubt that the intervention revealed a politician who has now emerged as one of the most powerful figures in government. There is widespread speculation among Labour MPs that the deputy prime minister is now positioning herself as the lead option to replace Sir Keir should he fall - and at the same time offer a different type of Labour government to the Starmerite project. In terms of political timing, Ms Rayner's intervention worked because it put a full stop to the end of a deeply troubled first year for Sir Keir. The speed with which the public fell out of love with Starmer's government after last year's election landslide, the anger over welfare cuts, winter fuel and other issues has poisoned the initial 12 months of Labour's return to power for the first time in 14 years. With the party at around 22 points in the polls and Nigel Farage 's Reform UK touching 30 points, they know they are in trouble. The threat (imagined or otherwise) of a Jeremy Corbyn-led party could pull away even more support. Ms Rayner ensured that as MPs headed to off on their summer breaks, the last thing they had in their minds was her as a 'more authentic' voice of Labour. There is an increasing feeling within Labour circles that Ms Rayner's 'real Labour' approach to politics is a more effective way of dealing with Farage and Reform, with the party appearing only too happy to pinch leftwing ideas including nationalising steel and the water industry, as well as paying out more benefits. The other, cruder part of the timing is that it was just a week away from the one year anniversary of the awful murders of three children in Southport, an event which triggered the riots across the country. Those riots were the first major challenge to a new Labour government last July and August, with Sir Keir robbed of any post-election honeymoon as the prime minister cancelled his holiday to deal with the unrest. With protests in Epping and problems beginning to stir with both the far right and far left, Ms Rayner was laying down a marker that this time they were ready for it. But there is a problem. As Michael Gove has pointed out, this cavalier use of a threat makes it look like the government 'is at the mercy of events'. Or at least that is what critics of hers will argue. When she returns after the summer, Ms Rayner is hoping to get an official Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, a real platform to wield power and an alternative centre of power to Downing Street. This has been won on the back of her saving the prime minister's skin in the welfare rebellion and negotiating a peace settlement over benefits cuts. The kicking out of four rebels only seems to have stirred up more discontent about Starmer not putting rebels off. Labour tends to not follow the Tory approach of quickly ditching leaders. But Ms Rayner has finished this first year ensuring that she is the clear frontrunner should the current prime minister's position become untenable.
Daily Record
5 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Humza Yousaf accuses Israel of 'starving wife's family' in Gaza
Humza Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla shared a plea to world leaders as they shared the reality of their family's circumstances in Gaza. The former first minister of Scotland has said Israel is starving his wife's family in Gaza. Humza Yousaf and his wife Nadia El-Nakla said her cousin Sally, her four children and husband were being deliberately and forcefully starved by the Israeli government. Ms El-Nakla, an SNP councillor in Dundee, said her aunt Hanan, her children and grandchildren, including a seven-month-old baby, were also being starved. She said the town of Deir Al Balah, where her family live, was "hit hard" by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). "Starving people were being forced to run while being shot and bombed," she said in a video alongside her husband on social media. Mr Yousaf said children in Gaza were being "starved, displaced, bombed, all while the world watches". The former SNP leader said: "Sally is one of millions in Gaza. Her husband goes out all day searching for food, often to come home with nothing. And when I say home, I mean a tent and almost 40 degree heat." He said that doctors in Gaza were becoming "too weak to treat patients" while journalists were becoming "too weak to report the silent killer of starvation". "This is a deliberate starvation of the Palestinian people," Ms El-Nakla added. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. "Food and water are a mere kilometres away. This form of warfare is sickening and the stories and images from my family and millions of others in Gaza are absolutely gut-wrenching. "Can you imagine not being able to feed your children yet knowing the food you so desperately need is only a few miles away?" She went on: "Sally's life matters, Palestinian lives matter, and I am begging those who have the power to open the borders to do so now and let the people of Gaza live." Mr Yousaf urged world leaders to take action to force Israel to allow more aid into Gaza. He said: "Fathers like me, parents like us, children like ours, being starved, displaced, bombed, all while the world watches. Governments might stay silent, they may refuse to act, but we won't." Writing on X, he added: "Words are not enough. Governments must act and force Israel to open the borders and allow aid to flow in." More than 100 aid agencies have warned that "mass starvation" is spreading across Gaza as Israel is accused of not allowing enough food, and other supplies, into the area. The health ministry said 10 people have died from malnutrition in the last 24 hours. The UK was among 28 nations that accused Israel of the "drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians" seeking food and water. The Palestinian health ministry said earlier this week that 100 Palestinians had been killed by the IDF while waiting for food over the weekend. Israel said on Tuesday that 950 lorries worth of aid were waiting in Gaza for international organisations to distribute. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Hamas, the proscribed terrorist group which controls Gaza, of stealing the food for itself. Mr Yousaf previously described the situation in Gaza as "hell on Earth". Ms El-Nakla's parents, Maged and Elizabeth El-Nakla, had been trapped in the enclave for four weeks after visiting family when the war broke out after Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel. They later left through Egypt with other British nationals, although Mr Yousaf said his father-in-law had become a "shell of a man" following their "traumatic" month in Gaza. The UK Government and the Israeli embassy in London have been approached for comment.
Scotsman
5 minutes ago
- Scotsman
A message from Scotland to Donald Trump: It's time to call Netanyahu and end Gaza's nightmare
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Mr President, arriving on your golfing trip to Scotland, you will not be surprised to hear that a large majority of Scots in this great country, where your mother Mary was born, are not supportive of or sympathetic to the first six months of your presidency. In particular, they are concerned about how the international order has been turned upside down, undermining any sense of global cohesion, and the tragic and inhuman treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, where a ceasefire is long overdue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 'out of control' and acting 'like a madman', say your senior White House staff, according to news website Axios. Mr President, you must know this is the time to act. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scots are angry about the savage cuts to overseas aid undertaken by your worst apprentice, Elon Musk, now fired, hopefully never to return. Is America indifferent to the idea of providing food, education, hope and healthcare to the world's most disadvantaged, especially children? This cannot be right. Surely your Maga supporters are not so mean or lacking in compassion. Palestinians queue to receive food at a charity kitchen in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday | AFP via Getty Images 'No man is an island' Ukraine is also of great concern to Scots. You now appreciate the destructive and dishonest nature of Putin and once again you are providing essential weapons and support to President Volodymyr Zelensky. A new page is being written in the aftermath of the ambush and ridicule of the Ukrainian leader in the White House, clumsily aided by your vice-president, JD Vance. This stirred a great deal of anger. Ukraine must win against Putin and destroy his attempts to build a new Russian Empire to replace the old Soviet Union. Putin is a mafia-style authoritarian thug, a massive threat to Europe, and deserving of extensive new sanctions to curtail his territorial ambitions. The Baltic states remain especially vulnerable to Russian aggression. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nato has accepted and acted upon your ideas of spending more on defence and security. As a reliable ally, there must be no weakening of support from the US. English poet and writer John Donne wrote in 1623 that 'no man is an island, entire of itself'. America needs Europe. There is no such thing as national self-sufficiency, and isolationism is a mistake. Your more recent remarks on Nato are encouraging. Many people in Scotland want Donald Trump to intervene decisively in the conflict in Gaza, and bring peace (Picture: Anna Moneymaker) | Getty Images An act of genocide However, our main concern and the focus of real anger and frustration in Scotland is Gaza. Netanyahu is responsible for spreading hate, fear and revenge, and his government is now committing what can only be described as an act of genocide. He has become an embarrassment to the ideals of humanity, morality, and decency. Scots know that you can end this carnage. That's why you must make the call to Netanyahu, to end the killing fields of Gaza, secure an immediate ceasefire and help remove from office a pariah who is doing enormous damage not only to Israel, but also to your presidency. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad READ MORE: Stop Trump Coalition plan protests in Scottish cities ahead of US president visit Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, talking about plans to deport Gazans to a so-called 'humanitarian city' in southern Gaza – where Palestinians would be screened before entering and stopped from leaving – has described this as a 'concentration camp'. It is time for the current Israeli Prime Minister and his ultra-nationalist fanatics to be booted out of office. It is time to recognise the state of Palestine. Blame for this continuing stain on humanity is, rightly or wrongly, being laid at your door, Mr President. Scots and Europeans want the most powerful politician in the world to stop Netanyahu pursuing his own gruesome political goals. A moral issue Any semblance of global governance is dying in this world of division and hate. Israel, a proud country, is unfortunately hurtling towards pariah status in a world tiring of its government's obvious hatred of Palestinians, desire to obliterate Gaza, annex the West Bank and destroy any prospects of a two-state solution. Antisemitism is despicable, but it is not a comfort blanket to defend the indefensible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This is a moral issue. This is about humanity. Scots are sickened by the images of destruction and death being shown nightly on TV screens in this country, but possibly not shown in Israel. Crimes against humanity are piling up. Netanyahu seems content to tolerate people being denied vital medicines and systematically starved, emaciated bodies of children and babies, children being slaughtered as they wait for food, hospitals and medical staff being bombed, whole families wiped out, homes levelled to rubble, and the West Bank being terrorised by Israeli settlers. Children reduced to skin and bones are even being refused access to medical help in other countries. Every death is dismissed by the Israel Defence Force as a consequence of 'targeted strikes on Hamas leaders' or, rarely, a 'fog of war' mistake. Act now Mr President, the United States must act now or forever be associated with this catastrophe, ethnic cleansing and genocide. Surely you and your Maga supporters don't agree with any of this? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Before his funeral, which you attended, Pope Francis phoned every day to the Holy Family Catholic church in Gaza as an act of faith and solidarity. Last week the church was bombed and people were killed. This must have got to you. The IDF apologised for its 'stray ammunition'. How long, Mr President, will you tolerate this nightmare? Only you have the might of America and the means to step in and halt the killings, release the hostages, free the Gazans, support a two-state solution and restore sanity. What's holding you back? There is talk of a Nobel Peace prize. India and Israel have nominated you. But rescuing Gaza is your big, beautiful and best bet! You have described Putin as 'crazy'. Absolutely right. What about Netanyahu? In an appropriate and authentic comment when talking about Iran and Israel, you said, 'they don't know what the f*** they are doing'. Your instincts say it all. Mr President, it's time to make that call.
