Sir Keir Starmer has expressed concern about a lack of humanitarian aid in Gaza during a call with the King of Jordan.
Sir Keir spoke to the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, on Saturday morning, after which a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister expressed his deep concern about the renewed Israeli military action in Gaza and the lack of humanitarian aid.”
Israel cut off the supply of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid to Gaza’s roughly two million Palestinians, aiming to pressure Hamas to accept a new proposal ahead of a second phase of ceasefire.
The proposal would require Hamas to release half its remaining hostages – the militant group’s main bargaining chip – in exchange for a ceasefire extension, but makes no mention of releasing more Palestinian prisoners.
Israel’s decision to withhold aid was widely criticised, with Hamas accusing Israel of trying to cause famine in Gaza, and the head of the UN Palestinian relief agency (UNRWA) warning the territory will experience another hunger crisis if Israel continues with the strategy.
Sir Keir also thanked Jordan’s king for his country’s work towards a political solution, with the leaders agreeing they must continue to urge both sides to return to a ceasefire.
After two months of ceasefire, Israeli attacks have returned to Gaza, with a British doctor telling the Associated Press about his efforts to save “child after child”.
Sakib Rokafiya, a visiting British doctor, said he watched from the balcony of a hospital in Khan Younis as missiles lit up the night sky early on Tuesday.
A Palestinian man carries the body of his 11-year-old daughter. Pic: AP
He said the Nasser Hospital – the largest hospital in southern Gaza – was running short on antibiotics and other essentials, a common plight in medical facilities in the war-torn territory.
Dr Rokafiya told AP he saw multiple victims brought into the hospital after strikes resumed.
He said: “Just child after child, young patient after young patient. The vast, vast majority were women, children, the elderly.”
He said he wrote notes directly onto patients’ skin and added names where he could, but many children were brought in by strangers, their parents dead, wounded or lost. For those, he wrote: “Unknown.”
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Gaza: ‘It’s a critical situation’
On Friday, Israel said it had “eliminated” Hamas’s military intelligence chief in southern Gaza.
Within hours, the Israel Defence Forces said on X sirens had been activated as a result of projectiles being launched from northern Gaza.
“This is further evidence of Hamas’ systematic exploitation of civilians and civilian structures for terrorist activities throughout Gaza,” the IDF said in a post on the social media platform.
Displaced Palestinians move between southern and northern Gaza. Pic: AP
Israel resumed airstrikes a few days ago after an extension to the ceasefire that had seen Israeli hostages swapped for Palestinian prisoners could not be agreed.
The truce was supposed to continue as long as talks on the second phase continued, but Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu refused to enter substantive negotiations.
More than 600 people have been killed in Gaza, with hundreds more injured, since Israel relaunched the war earlier this week, Gaza’s health ministry said. The Hamas-run ministry does not differentiate between militants and civilians in its death toll.
The renewed attacks on Gaza come as Israel said it would respond “severely” to an attack from Lebanon which saw rockets fired into northern Israel.
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Protests near Prime Minister Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem on Friday. Pic: Reuters
Th IDF said it “struck dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers and a command centre from which Hezbollah terrorists were operating in southern Lebanon a short while ago”.
Two people were killed and eight others injured following Israeli airstrikes, the Lebanese health ministry was reported as saying.
Meanwhile, in Israel, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets, criticising Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the hostage crisis.
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