[ad_1]
Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Israel in with his French counterpart to push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
In the first joint UK-France visit in more than 10 years, the pair met with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Strategic Affairs of Israel Ron Dermer. They will also visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
It comes as a fresh round of ceasefire talks have begun in Doha, with negotiators from the US, Qatar and Egypt meeting an Israeli delegation.
There are fears of an all-out regional war involving Iran following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month.
Western countries have been urging Iran to refrain from retaliating against Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the assassination.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon is also threatening to retaliate over Israel’s killing of one of its top commanders in an air strike in Beirut.
It is hoped that a new ceasefire deal in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages would calm tensions in the region.
The US said there had been a “promising start” to talks but “there remains a lot of work to do”.
Hamas has said it will not participate in the negotiations for now, although mediators are said to be relaying messages to the armed group’s officials based there.
The group – which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the UK and other countries – has claimed Israel has added new conditions to a previous proposal that had US and international support.
Mr Lammy said: “This is a dangerous moment for the Middle East. The risk of the situation spiralling out of control is rising. Any Iranian attack would have devastating consequences for the region.
“The UK and France are united in our commitment to secure a lasting peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the wider region.
“There can be no delays or excuses. All parties must engage seriously in negotiations on a ceasefire deal. This is a vital opportunity to secure the release of hostages and an immediate surge in aid into Gaza.”
French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said: “It’s never too late for peace.
“We must at all costs avoid a regional war, which would have terrible consequences. We must secure a ceasefire agreement and the release of the all the hostages.”
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said on Thursday that at least 40,005 people had been killed in the territory since then.
The figure, which does not make a distinction between combatants and civilians, is often disputed by the Israeli government but is broadly accepted by UN agencies.
[ad_2]
Source link
