It went on: “The Israeli government’s denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.”
The foreign ministers also repeated calls for Israeli hostages held by Hamas to be released: “We condemn their continued detention and call for their immediate and unconditional release. A negotiated ceasefire offers the best hope of bringing them home and ending the agony of their families.”
And they described proposals by Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, to confine the population of Gaza into a “humanitarian city” on Rafah were “completely unacceptable”.
“Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law”, they said, echoing concerns reportedly raised by the IDF’s own legal team earlier this month.
Lammy later re-emphasised this point in an update to MPs on Monday evening, saying: “This is a cruel vision that must never come to pass, and I condemn it unequivocally. Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law. Many Israelis themselves are appalled. As the former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said, ‘it marches us into the abyss’. He is right.”
He added: “There is no military solution. Negotiations will secure the hostages. Further bloodshed serves no purpose. Hamas and Israel must both commit to a ceasefire now, and the next ceasefire must be the last ceasefire. I thank the United States, Qatar and Egypt for their tireless efforts. I am sure that all Members share my intense frustration that the ceasefire has not happened. Until there is a breakthrough, we must keep doing all we can to relieve the suffering.”
However, Israel rejected the statement by the foreign ministers and said it “sends the wrong message to Hamas” when it comes to efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a post on X: “All statements and all claims should be directed at the only party responsible for the lack of a deal for the release of hostages and a ceasefire: Hamas, which started this war and is prolonging it.”
He went on: “There is a concrete proposal for a ceasefire deal, and Israel has repeatedly said yes to this proposal, while Hamas stubbornly refuses to accept it … Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides. At these sensitive moments in the ongoing negotiations, it is better to avoid statements of this kind.”
Also in Parliament yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer faced a grilling by the Liaison Committee – comprised of the chairs of all of the parliamentary select committees.
Justice Select Committee Chair, Labour MP Andy Slaughter, pressed the prime minister on the government’s position when it came to recognition of a Palestinian state, which several Labour MPs have urged it to fulfil without delay.
Sir Keir Starmer facing Parliament's Liaison Committee (Image: Parliament TV).[Missing Credit]
Starmer, however, said that that government would commit to recognition “as a contribution to the peace process at a time most conducive to the prospects of peace”.
"We are working with others on how we get from where we are now to a two-state solution, which is the only viable option to my mind,” he said.
He added: “We need to use the coming weeks to push further on credible plans for the next phase of Gaza. If we get to a ceasefire, we need to push past that and onto a better regionally-supported reconstruction effort.”
