I had never heard of Sir Nicholas Winton until recently. I’m not sure if he’s still alive, but if he is, I’d love to meet him and thank him for something he did around 75 years ago.

An unassuming London stockbroker, he rescued 669 children – mainly Jewish – from certain death in 1939, before the Nazi hierarchy started implementing its Final Solution (sic). Not only were his actions amazing, he never gloated or boasted about his amazing work, not even telling his wife, Grete, who only found out by accident.

In an emotional BBC programme That’s Life in the 1980s, he was re-united with many of the children he had saved decades earlier.

I can’t help but make comparisons with the children in Gaza. There is no bigger grief for a parent than the loss of a child. And however right Israel may or may not be, they are making absolutely no friends with their actions. What’s more, the result of the actions today will be further bloodshed, tears and grief tomorrow. A heavy handed attitude only lave broken bones and tables.

Of course, Hamas is no angel in this whole affair. The leadership should take all necessary steps to broker a ceasefire rather than reject them. And they should also come to realise that violence only breeds more violence from the Israelis.

Israel may be winning the military battle, but it’s losing the PR war. It’s like a chess game between Hamas and Israel, but the losers are the kids and people dying under a blanket of bombs.

Today, Sir Nicholas wears a ring given to him by some of the children he rescued. Ironically, the ring has an inscription: ‘Save one life, save the world’. It is taken from the Talmud, the book of Jewish law. Pity nobody seems to read anymore.

Read Sir Nicholas’ story here.