British MP fears for Palestinian relatives trapped in Gaza in Israeli siege聽

British MP Layla Moran in an interview with Good Morning Britain. (Screenshot)
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  • Moran said her relatives were running out of food, forced to resort to drinking dirty water

LONDON: British MP Layla Moran has expressed fears for her relatives in Gaza who are unable to move to safety inside what she called an 鈥渙pen-air prison,鈥� The Guardian reported on Tuesday.

Moran, who became the UK鈥檚 first MP of Palestinian heritage in 2017, told 鈥淕ood Morning Britain鈥� that her extended family had been forced to take refuge in a church after their house was hit by an Israeli airstrike.

The show鈥檚 presenter Richard Madeley faced criticism for having asked 鈥淲ith your family connections in Gaza, did you have any indication of what was going to happen?鈥� in relation to the attack by Hamas.

Many, including Liberal Democrat candidate Liz Jarvis, considered the question 鈥渁ppalling鈥� and called for an apology from Madeley.

Appealing for the opening of humanitarian corridors, Moran said it was impossible for her elderly relatives to relocate to a safe location where they would not be targeted by Israeli airstrikes.

She said: 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the problem with the geography of Gaza as a whole. It鈥檚 essentially an open prison, so you wouldn鈥檛 be able to move easily from one place to another.

鈥淭hey have heard that there are convoys of people trying to move that have also been hit and they just don鈥檛 feel it鈥檚 safe to move.鈥�

Moran said her relatives were running out of food and had been forced to resort to drinking dirty water.

She added: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 right that my family is being held accountable for what Hamas has done.

鈥淭his is a cycle of violence. My worry now is that this is radicalizing another generation on all sides. We have to stop this hatred. We have to bring people together and find a way through.鈥�