February 1, 2026 – Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire

Vigil number 113 held in Salisbury

February 2026

The vigils continue in Salisbury and around 25 braved the cold and rain on Saturday 31st January to hold the 113th such event. A fragile ceasefire continues to hold and plans are continuing for the Board of Peace. 492 have died since the October ceasefire and the total dead is now put at 71,660 by the Hamas Health Ministry. On this, news this week that the IDF has now accepted this as a correct figure having decried the statistics since 2023. A further 10,000 are thought to be under the rubble unaccounted for. Throughout the conflict, Israel has claimed it is engaged in targeted strikes and reports of indiscriminate attacks are according to Netanyahu, a ‘blood libel’.

The UN has reported that the ceasefire is making a difference as more aid is getting in to the territory. They say the famine is being reversed although aid is insufficient to meet all needs. Foreign media have not been allowed into Gaza preventing verification of claims and the reporting of facts on the ground. The Foreign Press Association has launched a claim in the Israel Supreme Court to allow journalists in now that a ceasefire is in place. They argue it is absurd to prevent journalists from entering.

We have noted in previous posts that despite 113 vigils having taken place, there has been no sign of the local MP Mr John Glen at any of them and he has never mentioned their existence in his weekly column in the local paper the Salisbury Journal. About 2 weeks ago, an attendee of the vigils has written to him for an answer but has not received a reply. Mr Glen is thought to be a member of the influential and well-funded Conservative Friends of Israel organisation as are a number of Labour and LibDem MPs. About 80% of conservative members are thought to be members. The question is whether being a member of this group overrides his role as the local MP employed to represent his constituent’s interests not those of a foreign power?