Gaza ceasefire must be secured, PM to tell Trump amid stalled negotiations
The Prime Minister will travel to meet the US president during his visit to Scotland amid mounting global anger over the humanitarian conditions in the war-torn enclave.
Ceasefire talks ground to a standstill this week after America and Israel withdrew negotiating teams from Qatar, with Washington's special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire to reach' an agreement.
The deal under discussion was expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as conditions for a lasting truce were brokered.
Sir Keir will raise the Trump administration's work with partners in Qatar and Egypt during his talks with Mr Trump and seek to discuss what more can be done to urgently bring about a ceasefire, it is understood.
They will also discuss the recently agreed US-UK trade deal and the war in Ukraine.
Britain is working with Jordan on plans to airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance amid international concern about suffering in the Palestinian territory.
However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency has warned that such efforts are 'a distraction' that will fail to properly address deepening starvation in the strip, and could in some cases harm civilians.
Later on Saturday, Israel said it would establish humanitarian corridors to enable UN convoys to transport aid into Gaza, as well as airdrops.
In a statement, the country's military said it would allow 'safe movement of deliveries of food and medicine' but that the military 'emphasises that combat operations have not ceased'.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also said that there was 'no starvation' in Gaza, despite increasing accounts of malnutrition and starvation-related deaths.
The Prime Minister confirmed that Britain will be 'taking forward' plans to airdrop aid into the territory with partners such as Jordan as he held crisis talks with his French and German counterparts on Saturday morning.
In a readout of the call, Number 10 said the leaders had agreed 'it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace'.
The Prime Minister said later: 'Israel must allow aid in over land to end the starvation unfolding in Gaza. The situation is desperate.'
The readout made no mention of Palestinian statehood, which Sir Keir has faced calls to immediately recognise after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country would do so in September.
Some 221 MPs from Labour, the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru, SDLP and independents have signed a letter pressuring the Government to follow suit at a UN meeting next week.
The majority of those who have signed – 131 – are Labour MPs.
The Government has so far said its immediate focus is on getting aid into the territory and insisted that recognising statehood must be done as part of a peace process.
But UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said airdrops in particular can be dangerous as they can fall on civilians, and that being able to drive supplies through is more effective and safer.
'Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient and can even kill starving civilians,' he said.
'It is a distraction and screensmoke.'
Sir Keir and Mr Trump, who is in South Ayrshire on a private visit to his Turnberry golf course, are expected to meet on Monday.
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