Starmer condemns Israel's plan to take over Gaza City

Sir Keir Starmer has stated that Israel's plans to seize Gaza City are "wrong" and will only result in "more bloodshed." His comments come after Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet approved the plans by a majority vote overnight. The Prime Minister urged the Israeli government to immediately reconsider its decision "to further escalate its offensive in Gaza." Netanyahu had previously stated his intention to take over the entire Gaza Strip, but the approved plan focuses on Gaza City, the region's largest city.

This move has also prompted warnings from top military officials and family members of hostages detained in Gaza, who fear the assault will endanger the 20 captives believed to be alive.

Sir Keir stated in a tweet that:

"This will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or to help ensure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed. Every day, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is getting worse and hostages taken by Hamas are held in appalling and inhuman conditions. What we need is a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian assistance, the freeing of all hostages by Hamas, as well as a negotiated settlement. Hamas will play no part in Gaza's future; they must leave and disarm."

"Our message is clear: a diplomatic solution is possible, but both sides must take a step away from the path of destruction."

Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, called the proposals "completely abhorrent" and said that Netanyahu's "primary aim is ethnic cleansing" and that "this scheme will only contribute to the destruction of millions of Gazans' lives and communities, which have already been destroyed, while endangering the lives of those hostages still detained by Hamas."

"The UK government must take decisive action rather than sitting on its hands and issuing strongly worded sentences. Keir Starmer must prevent all UK arms exports to Israel today and punish Netanyahu and his cabinet."

These events unfold as Foreign Secretary David Lammy is scheduled to speak with US Vice President JD Vance at his official country residence in Kent later today. Vance and his family are in the United Kingdom for a private family holiday. The pair are also due to meet at the White House, where the White House says they will address "a variety of issues relating to the US-UK relationship."

Last week, the United Kingdom announced that it would recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes substantive action to end the escalating situation in Gaza, including agreeing to a ceasefire and committing to a two-state solution. Israel sluggishly condemned the move, saying that it "rewards Hamas' monstrous terrorism." It also puts the UK at odds with the United States, which, like Israel, has predicted that recognising Hamas would be a mistake. While Lammy and Vance agree that Israel must open up humanitarian aid, they disagree on Israel's military conduct and what pressure it should face. However, Vance has stated, "We've also got to wage war on Hamas so that those people can't prevent food from entering the country."

The United Nations has warned that a complete military takeover would have "catastrophic consequences" for Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages detained in Gaza. Three-quarters of Gaza is under Israeli military occupation, and in the quarter of the territory the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) does not control, one million people are resident.

Netanyahu's office presented a five-point strategy for "defeating Hamas" and "concluding the conflict" in a tweet released on Friday morning. The IDF plans to seize Gaza City while still providing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside the combat zones. The initiative's five goals include disarming Hamas, returning all hostages, demilitarising the Gaza Strip, gaining military control of the territory, and establishing "an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas's nor the Palestinian Authority's."