**Prominent UK, Ireland Cultural Figures Call for Gaza Ceasefire and Unrestricted Aid**

A powerful coalition of over 300 of the United Kingdom and Ireland's cultural figures has united to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, alongside unrestricted humanitarian aid to the region's residents facing extreme hunger. The collective action is marked by signatures from notable authors like Ian McEwan, Jeanette Winterson, Zadie Smith, and Pico Iyer. Notable contributors also include musician Brian Eno and Russell T. Davies, famed for his role as the showrunner of the BBC's revived Doctor Who.

The letter begins poignantly with a poem by Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada, who tragically lost her life nearly two years ago in an Israeli airstrike. It criticizes the "collective silence and inaction" that has persisted in the face of tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths since October 7, 2023, a dark day when Hamas militants killed over a thousand mostly Israeli civilians near the Gaza border.

"The government of Israel has renewed its assault on Gaza with unrestrained brutality," the letter asserts. It condemns recent public statements by Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, labeling them as openly genocidal. The letter underscores that the terminology of "genocide" or "acts of genocide" in describing the situation in Gaza is no longer contested among international legal experts and human rights organizations.

Importantly, the letter also calls attention to the severe atrocities committed by Hamas, describing these actions as "crimes of war" and "crimes against humanity." It includes a strong plea for the release of hostages and unequivocally condemns any form of antisemitism, anti-Jewish, and anti-Israeli prejudice.

"We reject and abhor attacks, hate, and violence—in writing, speech, and action—against Palestinian, Israeli, and Jewish people in all and any form," the signatories state. In a forceful conclusion, the letter demands sanctions against the state of Israel should the government refuse to agree to a ceasefire.