UK promises recognition of Palestinian state if Israel fails to ease suffering in Gaza
Palestinian authorities also said more than 60,000 Palestinians have been confirmed as killed by Israel's air and ground assault on the Gaza Strip.
The hunger alert and the new death toll are grim milestones in a conflict that began almost two years ago when Hamas attacked Israel, sparking an offensive that has flattened much of the enclave and ignited hostilities across the Middle East.
The UK's warning heightens pressure on Israel amid an international outcry over its conduct of the war.
France announced last week that it would recognise Palestinian statehood – a move that enraged the Israeli government.
Prime minister Keir Starmer told his cabinet yesterday that the UK would follow suit at the UN General Assembly in September 'unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a two-state solution'.
The move would be mostly symbolic, with Israel occupying the territories where the Palestinians have long aimed to establish a state – with East Jerusalem as its capital – in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
However, it makes Israel appear more isolated on the international stage as a growing number of countries call for it to allow unfettered aid into Gaza, where it controls all entry and exit points.
US president Donald Trump's administration – Israel's closest ally – has made clear it has no intention of joining others in recognising Palestinian statehood anytime soon.
Mr Trump said yesterday that he and Mr Starmer did not discuss the UK's proposal to recognise a Palestinian state when the two held talks in Scotland over the weekend. Mr Trump told reporters at the time he did 'not mind' if the UK made such a proposal.
With the international furore over Gaza's ordeal growing, Israel announced steps over the weekend to ease aid access. But the UN World Food Programme said yesterday that it has not got the permissions it needed to deliver aid since Israel began humanitarian pauses in warfare on Sunday.
The IPC said that 'mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths.'
The hunger monitor added that 'famine thresholds' have been reached for food consumption in most of Gaza. It said it would quickly carry out the formal analysis that could allow it to classify Gaza as 'in famine'.
Gaza health authorities have been reporting more and more people dying from hunger-related causes. The total stands at 147 – among them 88 children – most of whom have died in the last few weeks.
Israel has denied pursuing a policy of starvation. The country's foreign minister, Gideon Sa'ar, said yesterday that the situation in Gaza was 'tough', but that there were lies about starvation there.
Mr Sa'ar said 5,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza in the last two months, and that Israel would assist those wanting to conduct airdrops – a delivery method that aid groups say is ineffective and tokenist.
Ross Smith, a senior regional programme adviser at the World Food Programme, told reporters in Geneva by video: 'We're getting approximately 50pc of what we're requesting into Gaza since these humanitarian pauses started on Sunday.
'We are not going to be able to address the needs of the population unless we can move in the volume that we need.'
Israel and the US accuse Hamas of stealing aid – which the militants deny – and the UN of failing to prevent it. The UN says it has not seen evidence of Hamas diverting much aid. Hamas accuses Israel of causing starvation and using aid as a weapon.
The Gazan casualty figures – which are often cited by the UN and have previously been described as reliable by the World Health Organisation – underline the war as the deadliest involving Israel since the country's establishment in 1948.
The Palestinian death toll does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Thousands more bodies are believed to be buried under rubble, meaning the true toll is likely to be significantly higher, according to Palestinian officials and rescue workers.
Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, when militants killed 1,195 people and took 251 hostage.
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Irish Independent
6 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Israeli military chief opposes plan for Gaza war expansion
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Irish Independent
6 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Letters: Youth can be no excuse for those responsible for acts of violence on our streets
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Irish Independent
6 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: Ireland must proceed with caution after Donald Trump's threat of increased pharma tariffs
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