TWO Merseyside MPs have called on Gordon Brown to openly condemn the "slaughter" in Gaza - accusing the Israelis of deliberately targeting innocent civilians.

Peter Kilfoyle (Walton) and Edward O’Hara (Knowsley South) are among 100 MPs piling pressure on the prime minister to act after the assault that has killed at least 650 Palestinians.

They have signed a statement that describes the military strikes as an "outrage that the international community must not allow to continue".

The statement - which also condemns Palestinian rocket attacks on Southern Israel - reveals mounting anger among MPs who cannot put their protests directly to Mr Brown until the Commons returns next Monday.

Most notably, it agrees with Israeli human right groups that the targets in Gaza "include also clearly civilian installations" - a charge Israel has repeatedly denied.

It also calls for an embargo on UK arms sales to Israel. The government licensed £20m of military sales in just three months last year, it has been reported.

Mr Kilfoyle told of his anger at both Israel’s actions and the British government’s failure to condemn them, saying: "It’s disgraceful criminal activity by the Israeli state.

"It’s a senseless slaughter of civilians and, in terms of Hamas against the Israeli defence force, like a peashooter against an elephant.

"Our government, and the Americans even more so, should hang their heads in shame at their one-sided approach and the failure to condemn the immoral situation that the rest of the world is condemning."

Three former Cabinet ministers - Andrew Smith, Frank Dobson and Clare Short - are also among the signatories to the statement, circulated by Labour backbencher Richard Burden.