The UK has joined 27 other countries in condemning Israel for depriving Palestinians of 'human dignity' as they issued a call for an immediate end to the war in Gaza. Foreign Secretary David Lammy joined ministers from Australia, Canada, and France in urging the Israeli government to lift restrictions on the flow of aid, arguing that the suffering of civilians had 'reached new depths'.
They also described proposals from Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz to move 600,000 Palestinians to a so-called 'humanitarian city' in Rafah, an area heavily damaged by Israeli bombs, as 'completely unacceptable'. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the situation in Gaza was 'intolerable' and repeated the UK's commitment to recognising a Palestinian state 'at a time most conducive to the prospects of peace'.
On Monday, Israel launched substantial air raids and a ground operation in Gaza, targeting Deir al-Balah, the main hub for humanitarian efforts, amid warnings of widening starvation. The UN World Food Programme said the majority of those killed on Sunday had gathered near the border fence hoping to get flour from a UN aid convoy when they were fired on by Israeli tanks and snipers.
Starmer said: 'The situation on the ground in Gaza is intolerable on so many levels... Whether that's the deaths of those that are queueing for aid, whether it's the plans to force Palestinians to live in certain areas or be excluded from certain areas, they are all intolerable and absolutely wrong in principle.'
The foreign ministers called for Israel to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their work. They condemned the 'drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food'. The Israeli foreign ministry rejected the joint statement, saying it was 'disconnected from reality' and failed to recognise Hamas's role.
