With the “terrifying realities” in Gaza, the British government’s stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas raises “significant ethical and legal questions,” a retired British professor said Wednesday.

In a letter to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Abd al-Fattah El-Awaisi, an expert on international relations, said he is “deeply troubled and angered” over the UK government’s “consistent and unequivocal support” for Israel.

Recalling his previous letter to Sunak, who did not reply, he criticized the position of the British government in its “unwavering support” for the Israeli occupation in its actions against Palestinians, particularly in the Gaza Strip.

“As a retired British professor of international relations, I am deeply troubled and angered by the UK government’s consistent and unequivocal support for Israel, even when it is accused of violating international law, committing war crimes and a genocide in Gaza,” said El-Awaisi.

He stressed that this unwavering stance undermines any claims of impartiality and “emboldens the occupation’s violations of international law.”

“In my opinion, the UK government’s unwavering support makes it complicit in Israeli war crimes, facilitating genocide and it shares responsibility for the tragic loss of civilian life in Gaza,” he noted.

In his previous letter on Dec. 31, he pointed out his concern over the UK’s support for Israel and recalled the Israeli attack on Al-Maghazi refugee camp on Christmas day, when an airstrike claimed the lives of 25 members of his family, most of whom were women and children.

– UK’s support makes it ‘complicit in facilitating genocide’

Saying that Palestinians are recognized as living under occupation under international law, El-Awaisi recalled a UN General Assembly resolution.

“Under international law, Palestinians are recognized as living under occupation and therefore have the right to resist Israeli occupation by “all available means, including armed struggle” (UN General Assembly Resolution 37/43).”

However, he said that Israel, as the occupying power, “does not have the right” to claim self-defense under international law when it engages in military actions against Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

“How can the UK government continue to stand with Israel in the face of credible accusations of committing genocide, war crimes and violating international law?” he said.

“The UK government’s diplomatic backing, military aid and direct involvement in the conflict – through giving intelligence to the Israelis – make it complicit in facilitating genocide.”

Addressing the increasing criticism towards Israeli actions by the international community, El-Awaisi called on the government to take “a principled stance” on the matter.

“I urge you, as the Prime Minister, to reconsider the UK’s stance and to prioritize the principles of justice, human rights, human values and international law in your government’s decisions towards Palestinians living under Israeli occupation,” he said.

“The world is watching, and the UK’s stance on these pressing issues will define its role.”

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, in which nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since then has jumped to 25,700, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said on Wednesday.

The ministry in a statement said 63,740 others have also been injured.

About 85% of Gazans have since been displaced, all of them are food insecure and the health system is collapsing. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and ⁠less than half of the aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.