UK joins 24 other countries in call for immediate end to Gaza war

The UK has joined 24 other nations in condemning Israel for depriving Palestinians of "human dignity" as they issued a call for an immediate end to the war.

- Pippa Crerar

David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, joined ministers from countries including Australia, Canada and France to urge the Israeli government to lift restrictions on the flow of aid, arguing that civilians' suffering had "reached new depths".

They also described proposals from the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, to move 600,000 Palestinians to a so-called "humanitarian city" in Rafah, which has been heavily damaged through the war, as "completely unacceptable".

At the Commons liaison committee, Keir Starmer said the situation in Gaza was "intolerable", as he repeated the UK's commitment to recognising a Palestinian state "at a time most conducive to the prospects of peace" in the region.

Israel has launched air raids and a ground operation in Gaza, targeting Deir al-Balah, the main hub for humanitarian efforts in the devastated territory, amid growing warnings of widening starvation.