THERE have been 600 days of bombing. 600 days of starvation. 600 days of crimes against humanity.

With these words, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn demanded today that the British government end its complicity in Israel’s assault on Gaza as the genocide reached the sombre milestone of 600 days.

Mr Corbyn, independent MP for Islington North, asked: “How many more days of genocide until our government ends arms sales to Israel?

“The world could have stopped this,” he insisted. “Instead, our political leaders have allowed Israel to act with total impunity.

“The Israeli government continues to commit war crimes because it knows it can — and until our government ends its military co-operation, it will remain shamefully complicit.”

Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal echoed Mr Corbyn’s call, saying: “Six hundred days of slaughter, ethnic cleansing and starvation — the crimes Israel has committed in Gaza will resound with infamy through history.

“But so too will the complicity of the British government that has given a genocidal regime military, diplomatic and economic protection and abandoned the principles of international law. 

“Keir Starmer and David Lammy seem to be unable to draw a red line beyond which Israel will lose their support, so on Wednesday, June 4 we will bring a red line to Parliament.

“Thousands of Palestine solidarity activists, wearing red clothes, will hold a red fabric to surround Parliament during Prime Minister’s Question Time to show the government that hollow words of concern and condemnation are not enough.

“We need a full arms embargo and sanctions on Israel as the minimum response to these crimes against humanity.”

Mr Jamal’s call was echoed by the Stop the War Coalition, with a spokesman saying: “Government and Establishment opinion appears to be realising what we have argued from the outset — Israel’s intentions and actions in Gaza are genocidal, aimed at the eradication of the Palestinians as a people.

“Every day’s news only confirms this. Ministers now need to turn slow-dawning insight into rapid action, halt all arms sales to Israel, recognise a Palestinian state and sanction [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and his fascist cronies.”

Global Jews for Palestine commented: “Our governments have always held the power to end this onslaught. But our states are speaking fine words while they arm and normalise Israel’s crimes. Every day that they delay, Israel kills another 35 children.”

Indeed, further confusion over Labour policy was highlighted by the visit to Israel this week of trade envoy Ian Austin, despite Foreign Secretary David Lammy having frozen trade talks with Israel.

Lord Austin, a former right-wing Labour MP who was appointed to his current post and ennobled by Boris Johnson, was welcomed to Israel by the British embassy there, calling into question the sincerity of Mr Lammy’s announcement.

One Labour MP told the Guardian: “There is a large group of Labour MPs who are furious this has been allowed to happen after the progress made last week. 

“Mr Austin needs to be fired immediately; the Department of Business and Trade response is completely unacceptable.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “Sadly there is a gulf between rhetoric and reality. The Prime Minister claimed to have suspended trade talks with Israel, yet just days later the British trade envoy, Lord Ian Austin, was in Israel as a guest of its government.”

Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East executive director Pete Malynn added: “It sends entirely the wrong message about the government’s priorities in the region, calls into question its strategic direction and emboldens those who seek to undermine and criticise the government.”

Meanwhile in Israel, the families of captives held in Gaza since the October 7 2023 attack by Hamas and its allies marked the 600th day of Israel’s war landmark by lashing out at Mr Netanyahu.

Protests across the country demanded a hostage deal and fresh national elections. Many gathered at 6.29am, the hour that the Palestinian resistance fighters launched their attack.

In Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, other protesters, wearing yellow shirts and holding yellow balloons, waited for the moment when the digital board counting the days, hours, minutes and seconds of captivity switched from 599 to 600.

As it did, the circle of people released their balloons and called out: “Bring them home now!”

But the far-right Israeli government has refused to accept an “understanding” reached earlier this week between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Hamas that would have set up a 70-day ceasefire, a hostage and prisoner exchange, a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the prospect of talks that might lead to an end to the fighting.

In Gaza, at least three Palestinians were killed and 48 others wounded on Tuesday when Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd at a new aid distribution site near the southern Gaza city of Rafah that had been set up by the Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the territory’s Health Ministry said yesterday.

Starving crowds of Palestinians broke through the fences around the distribution site, but many were targeted by Israeli tank and gun fire. A military helicopter also fired flares in the area.

It was not yet known whether the death and injuries were caused by Israeli forces or the private contractors.

The foundation said its military contractors had not fired on the crowd but “fell back” before resuming aid operations. Israel said its troops nearby had fired warning shots.

Ajith Sunghay, head of the United Nations Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories, had earlier told reporters in Geneva that 47 people were wounded, mostly by gunfire.

The distribution hub outside Rafah was opened the day before by the foundation, which has been given the job by Israel of carrying out aid operations.

The UN and other humanitarian organisations have rejected the new system, saying it won’t be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population. 

They have also warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and people seeking supplies.

Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli border closures, which have created famine conditions in Gaza. 

Israel says it helped establish the new aid mechanism to prevent Hamas from siphoning off supplies, but it has provided no evidence of systematic diversion and UN agencies say they have mechanisms in place to prevent it.

On Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu reiterated his intention to move Gaza’s entire population to what he described as a “sterile zone” at the southern end of the territory while troops fight Hamas elsewhere.

Many experts have labelled the plan ethnic cleansing, which is a war crime.