Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan told Sir Keir Starmer he “must do more” to pressure Israel to end its assaults on Gaza. In a split with the Prime Minister, Sir Sadiq said: “The absolutely harrowing scenes of suffering in Gaza are being made worse by the day, with no sign of the crisis abating.”
He said: “The international community – including our own government – must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to to stop this horrific, senseless killing and let vital life-saving aid in.” Sir Sadiq added: “The UK must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood. There can be no viable solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.”
The UK Government has stepped up criticism of Israel in recent weeks but has a policy of recognising Palestine “at a time that has the most impact in achieving this reality and is most conducive to long-term prospects for peace” and is “not simply a symbolic gesture”, according to comments by Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer earlier this month.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy this week said Israel could face further sanctions from the UK if it does not agree to a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has begun a ground operation targeting Deir al-Balah, the main hub for humanitarian efforts in the enclave.
On Monday, Mr Lammy and his counterparts from 24 other nations including France, Canada and Australia urged Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid into Gaza in a joint statement.
They condemned the current aid delivery model, backed by the Israeli and American governments, which has reportedly resulted in IDF troops firing on Palestinian civilians in search of food on multiple occasions.
Israel claimed the statement from foreign ministers was “disconnected from reality” and “sends the wrong message to Hamas”.
Mr Lammy said: “We’ve announced a raft of sanctions over the last few months. There will be more, clearly, and we keep all of those options under consideration if we do not see a change in behaviour and the suffering that we are seeing come to an end.
“It’s important that we continue to work with international partners if we are to have the maximum result.
“But what I want to see is a ceasefire and it’s my assessment that once the Knesset rises on July 28, we are more likely to see a ceasefire come into effect.”
In June, Mr Lammy announced that two ministers in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would be subject to sanctions by the UK: Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The Israeli finance and security ministers were sanctioned for inciting violence against the Palestinians.
Israeli ground troops pushed into areas of Deir al-Balah, where several aid groups are based, for the first time on Monday.
Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in the city, which has avoided widespread devastation during the war, leading to speculation that Hamas holds large numbers of hostages there.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people.
Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.