Foreign secretary David Lammy has said now is the time for a ceasefire agreement in Israel and Gaza, following a meeting with Israeli officials amid rising tensions in the Middle East.
He called for hostages to be returned, aid to be allowed into Gaza “in the quantities that are necessary” and for the fighting to stop.
The Labour minister travelled to Israel overnight alongside French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne, the first joint UK-France visit to the region in more than a decade. The pair are also planning to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Speaking at a joint press conference following the meeting, the foreign secretary said: “This is a war and a crisis that has taken so many lives across the region, and of course began with the most horrific events on October 7.
“But as we head now into 315 days of war, the time for a deal – for those hostages to be returned, for aid to get in in the quantities that are necessary in Gaza and for the fighting to stop – is now. And of course that is the message that we have jointly underlined to ministers today, both in Israel and of course in the occupied territories.”
He also said that hostage talks in Qatar have gone well, saying that Israeli officials “hope that we are on the cusp of a deal”. This came after officials from the US, Qatar and Egypt met an Israeli delegation in Qatar for renewed negotiations.
Ahead of the press conference, Mr Lammy and Mr Sejourne, who met with Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz and minister of strategic affairs Ron Dermer on Friday morning, said there is “no time for delays or excuses from all parties on a ceasefire deal”.
The visit came hours after Israeli settlers launched an attack on a village in the West Bank, killing at least one Palestinian – the latest in a series of attacks by settlers in the region. Israeli settlers, some wearing masks, attacked the village, burning cars and houses in Jit, near the city of Nablus.
Tensions have risen in the region following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil, which Iran has blamed on Israel.
A possible escalation from Iranian-backed Hezbollah across the Israel-Lebanon border is also contributing to growing concerns over a wider war in the Middle East.
Three senior Iranian officials this week said only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would prevent the country from launching direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination, which took place as Haniyeh visited Tehran in July. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.
Mr Katz told his French and British counterparts during Friday’s meeting that Israel expects support in attacking Iran if it strikes Israel.
He said: “If Iran attacks, we expect the coalition to join Israel not only in defence but also in attacking significant targets in Iran”.
Speaking ahead of the trip, the foreign secretary said it is a vital opportunity to “end the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence”, calling for all parties to engage seriously in the negotiations.
Mediating parties have been attempting to secure an agreement for a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release a number of hostages captured in the 7 October attack in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
According to Hamas health authorities, the death toll during the ten months of conflict passed 40,000 on Thursday, something UN human rights chief Volker Türk described as a “grim milestone”.
Israeli forces have regularly targeted mosques, schools, hospitals and cemeteries in Gaza where it claims fighters or tunnels are located, often causing civilian casualties. The fighting has also resulted in the deaths of 329 Israeli soldiers.
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