British Labor MP Naz Shah writes a letter of apology to the children of Gaza (Getty)

Naz Shah, a representative of the Labor Party in the British House of Commons, sent a letter of apology to the children of Gaza, in which she expressed her regret for what they have been living through for the past days in light of international silence.

Shah published her video message on the “X” platform yesterday, Saturday, January 27, 2024, entitled “A Letter to Gaza,” and she read it in her voice mixed with tears and accompanied it with scenes of the devastation that befell the Gaza Strip and the daily suffering of children there.

The representative said in her message, “Dear children of Gaza, I am sorry. The world sees your tears and hears your screams and cries. It also sees your bodies stuck under the rubble. The world is witness to everything that is happening, but everything is still going on.”

She added, "On the other hand, we hear your dreams and wishes to learn, travel, visit your clear blue beaches, or play on the swings in your gardens, to become astronauts, teachers, and doctors, and every day we see how these dreams have been lost and faded."

As of January 26 2024 – over 13,000 children have been mercilessly killed in Gaza. “We are sorry” @NazShahBfd @UNICEF @UNICEFpalestine #LettersToGaza https://t.co/6kyQyuwdFE

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) January 27, 2024

She continued: "You can ask the world where the universal values ​​of freedom, justice and equality were, when the world was unable to protect the right of the Palestinian child to live. You may ask the world, why was there rapid action when trade routes and economic interests became at risk, but the silence was deafening when Killing 10,000 children? When the hearts of your mothers and fathers were torn apart? Will I ever feel safe? Will I live? Maybe the world may not like your questions, but you deserve an answer.”

Shah emphasized, “The world cannot pretend that it does not know what is happening to you because we hear and see what is being reported by your heroes who took out their cameras and risked everything, including the lives of their families, to show the world your stories.”

The British representative concluded her message by saying, “The world still sees your innocence, your courage, your suffering, and your endurance, and despite the horror, you still carry the world on your shoulders... When we raised our voices and filled the streets and demanded the end, that was not enough, when the world should have inspired you. You became a source of "Our inspiration... I'm sorry."

On January 15, Shah launched a scathing attack on British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after he asked her to send a message to Hamas and the Houthis to stop their attacks.

Immediately after Rishi Sunak used an Islamophobic trope against me in Parliament today, my friend and colleague @NazShahBfd challenged him directly.

Thank you Naz! 🤍 https://t.co/jaNkMeEABh

— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) January 15, 2024

Shah said at the time, "Criticizing Israel's actions, while committing indiscriminate bombing in Gaza, does not mean that you support one way or another the actions of Hamas. It was wrong for the prime minister to ask me to ask Hamas and the Houthis to stop their actions."

On January 9, the MP, who is of Pakistani origin, called on Britain to stop arming Israel, saying on the "So high, we are still arming Israel. We must immediately suspend all arms exports to Israel."

How can it be that the International Court of Justice is determining a case of Genocide against Israel, our own Foreign Secretary recognizes civilian deaths in Gaza are too high and yet, we are still arming Israel.

We must immediately suspend all arms exports to Israel. pic.twitter.com/L6jkebJstT

- Naz Shah MP 💙 (@NazShahBfd) January 9, 2024

On November 15, 2023, Shah was among 15 Labor Party deputies who called on the British House of Commons and the Sunak government - who belongs to the Conservative Party - to support a resolution in the UN Security Council for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Naz Shah, a British politician and MP of Pakistani origin, was born on November 13, 1973 in the British city of Bradford, but her father left the family when she was six years old.

At the age of 12, her mother Zora Shah sent her to Pakistan to escape her abusive stepfather, where she married Naz Shah there and later returned to Britain.

Before being elected as an MP, Naz Shah chaired a mental health charity, worked as a carer for people with disabilities, an NHS commissioner and director of a regional association supporting local councils.

Then she was elected in the general elections in the United Kingdom in 2015 as a member of Parliament for the West Bradford constituency, where she took the seat from George Galloway, the Respect Party candidate, and she was one of 9 Muslim representatives of the Labor Party.

In February 2016, she was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell.

In the June 2017 general election, Shah was re-elected to the House of Commons with an increased percentage of votes, and in July 2018, she was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities.

Shah was re-elected as MP for West Bradford in the 2019 general election.

During the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip in May 2021, Naz Shah addressed the occupation Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, “If the bloodshed of Palestinians continues, I will push for Israel to be tried on war crimes charges before the International Criminal Court,” adding that Israel has a “perverted” understanding. The right to self-defense.”

At the time, Naz Shah described Gaza as “the largest prison in the world” and accused the occupying state of “practicing a policy of apartheid” against the Palestinians.

In April 2016, the Labor Party froze Naz Shah’s membership due to her comments on social networking sites in 2014, during which she published a map of the United States of America with a map of Israel above it.

At the time, Naz Shah proposed transferring Israel to the United States to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and satisfy the Zionist lobby in the United States, saying, “Then the problem will be solved.”

Naz Shah's comments were described as anti-Semitic, leading to her membership being suspended, after which the British parliamentarian issued an apology and asserted that "anti-Semitism is racist", an apology which the then party leader accepted and returned to the party.

Source: Al Jazeera + websites + social networking sites