Keir Starmer calls back ministers from holiday for emergency Gaza Cabinet meeting
The Prime Minister has strengthened his language on the humanitarian crisis in recent days as mass starvation grips the area. He said the situation has "reached new depths and continues to worsen", as he described the suffering and starvation unfolding as "unspeakable and indefensible".
Parliament last week rose for the summer recess, with MPs heading back to their constituencies before returning to Westminster in September. But ministers have been recalled from recess to discuss the urgent situation in Gaza.
The PM's spokesman said today: "This week, the Prime Minister is focused on a pathway to peace to ensure immediate relief for those on the ground, and a sustainable route to a two-state solution."
Cabinet ministers are expected to discuss the next steps in securing a ceasefire, which can then be turned into lasting peace for the region. Mr Starmer held a call with France and Germany over the weekend and will continue to discuss a UK-led peace plan with international allies this week.
The PM will today raise the issue with Donald Trump, who is on a private visit to Scotland. No10 said they'll discuss "what more can be done to secure the ceasefire urgently, bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation in Gaza and free the hostages who have been held so cruelly for so long".
Writing in the Mirror last week, Mr Starmer said starvation and desperation in Gaza is "utterly horrifying" and the UK was scaling up its efforts to evacuate children who need medical help and to get aid in.
"It is a humanitarian catastrophe. And it must end now," he said. "We will pull every lever we have to get food and lifesaving support to the Palestinian people immediately."
Israel announced at the weekend that it would suspend fighting in three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day and open secure routes for aid delivery. The UK is working with Jordan to airdrop aid into Gaza and evacuate children needing medical assistance, with military planners deployed for further support.
However, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency has warned such efforts are "a distraction" that will fail to properly address deepening starvation in the strip, and could in some cases harm civilians.
The PM has been under pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood immediately - with hundreds of his MPs, as well as some in Cabinet, calling for him to do so. It comes after France said it will do so in September.
But Mr Starmer has resisted calls so far, arguing that the move must come as a part of a pathway to a lasting peace in the region. "It must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis," he said.
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