Let us be clear: there is no justification for human suffering on the scale we are seeing in Gaza. And, true to our principle of non-violence, there is no military solution that will bring a just and lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians.
We are devastated by the humanitarian crisis, starvation and killing of Palestinians we are witnessing. Thousands of civilians - men, women, and children - are paying the price for political failures that have prioritised violence over dialogue and diplomacy, and cruel policies that span generations.
Victory is not conflict resolution. Bombs may stop for a time, but that is conflict management at best - not resolution. True peace doesn’t come when one side “wins” and the other is crushed. That only sets the stage for the next eruption of violence. We must reject zero-sum thinking, where one people’s freedom comes at the cost of another’s.
The only morally acceptable path forward is a win-win outcome through negotiation, grounded in justice, recognition, equality, dignity, and security for both peoples.
Ceasing the violence is not a political concession. It is a moral imperative - for the thousands killed, and the many hundreds of thousands of Gazans facing starvation, displacement, and despair, and for the Israeli hostages. Any leader refusing this basic humanitarian step has lost sight of the value of human life.
What we see in British teenagers:
When we speak with British teenagers in our school sessions across the UK, we find more wisdom and courage than in the speeches of many world leaders. These students - Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and of no faith - are already doing the hard work of empathy.
They ask: What does the other side fear? What would it take to feel safe? What is actually being done to stop this? Who is involved in solving problems rather than creating them? They’re not interested in who wins. They want solutions that allow everyone to live in freedom and safety. They want action. They understand that trying to “win” by force leads to a lose-lose reality. And they see clearly: the only path to peace is one where all Israelis and Palestinians have a homeland, dignity, and a future.
This young generation gives me hope. They understand that dialogue is not the end goal, but one of the tools to achieve a win-win outcome. But they should not bear the burden of fixing a world we broke. We must act now, not with weapons, but with willpower - towards negotiation, reconciliation, and shared humanity. There is also hope amongst the many organisations in Palestine, Israel, and internationally that are working courageously and often in dangerous circumstances, for liberation, security, equality, peace, justice, and to deliver aid and support to those who need it, particularly in Gaza.
What we see in civil society organisations in the region:
There are over 170 civil society organisations that we have seen with our own eyes working on the ground thanks to many of the brave Israeli and Palestinian SNS speakers who work with these organisations.
Jumpstarting Hope in Gaza is an Israeli-Palestinian transborder effort for the rapid deployment of decentralised water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), food, tents, and other supplies, to provide immediate relief to the people of Gaza. They support thousands of people in internally displaced camps in Gaza.
Culture of Solidarity is a mutual aid collective working to provide food security and social aid to underserved communities, as well as cultivating an environment for learning about the root causes of systemic conflict and occupation, and organising as a non-violent resistance and education movement. This Ramadan, they helped collect 134,000 ILS (£28,000) to support Palestinian families through food aid.
The Parents’ Circle, a joint Israeli-Palestinian forum of bereaved families, fosters reconciliation through shared grief and enables cross-border education and advocacy against violence, conflict, war, and revenge. Many families affected by Oct 7th and the Gaza war have chosen to join and stand in solidarity through grief.
People in Britain can support these organisations through donations, awareness-raising, and advocacy.