USDAW general secretary Paddy Lillis slammed Israel’s ”absolutely indefensible” targeting of civilians in Gaza during a speech today at the retail union’s annual conference.

It is ”incomprehensible” that five to nine-year-olds are the age group with the highest number of fatalities, he added.

While the union ”absolutely condemned” the October 7 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel and the group’s refusal to release its remaining hostages, he said: ”We are absolutely resolute for calling for restrain from Israel.

”We are deeply concerned of the targeting of civilians.

”Morally, it’s absolutely indefensible: more than 52,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, mostly women and children.

”The age group most represented of those who have been killed is five to nine-year-olds... Conference, it’s incomprehensible.”

Members of Britain’s fifth-largest union were urged to write to their MPs demanding an end to the ”brutal genocide,” along with a halt to all arms sales and intelligence sharing with Israel.

Moving the motion, Reading Central delegate Frank Dunaway said that no further licences to export arms to Israel should be issued.

”Usdaw reaffirms its support for Palestine and Palestinian rights and calls on the government to immediately recognise the state of Palestine, contributing to a two-state solution,” he added.

Seconding, Sussex No 1 delegate Amy Murphy said: ”I cannot believe that, in 2025, our and other governments are turning a blind eye to these atrocities.”

Urging the Labour-affiliated union’s top officials to ”do all they can” to lobby the government for an immediate ceasefire, she said: ”This needs to be done as a extreme matter of urgency as, only this Monday, Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to expand its military offensive in Gaza, which includes the capture of Gaza.”