David Lammy says ‘the time for a deal is now’ as foreign secretary pushes for ceasefire in Gaza
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Foreign secretary David Lammy has said the “time is now” for a Gaza ceasefire deal during a visit to Israel – as he pushed hard for a truce that would also ease growing hostilies across the Middle East that have left the region on the brink of a wider war.
The visit, alongside French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne in the first joint UK-France trip to the region in more than a decade, piles on the pressure for a deal as talks continue in Qatar’s capital Doha over an agreement that would stop the fighting between Israel and Hamas and secure the release of Israeli hostages still held inside Gaza. The talks, convened by Qatar, Egypt and the US are hoping to break weeks of diplomatic deadlock as the number of dead in Gaza passes 40,000 – labelled a “gim milestone” by the UN.
Speaking from Jerusalem later in the day, with the visit also including a trip into the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Mr Lammy called for hostages to be returned, aid to be allowed into Gaza “in the quantities that are necessary” and for the fighting to stop.
The war was triggered by a bloody attack inside Israel by Hamas on 7 Octover during which around 1,200 people were killed and another 250 people taken hostage. The Israeli bombardment of Gaza that has followed has forced much of Gaza’s 2.3 million population from their homes on top of the death toll.
Tensions have also spiked in the region following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Iranian soil late last month, which Tehran has blamed on Israel and has vowed revenge. Possible retaliation from the Iranian-backed Hezbollah across the Israel-Lebanon border – with israel havng killed a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut a few hours before Haniyeh was assassinated – is also contributing to growing concerns over a wider war.
Mr Lammy and Mr Sejourne met with Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz and minister of strategic affairs Ron Dermer on Friday morning, saying beforehand that there is “no time for delays or excuses from all parties on a ceasefire deal”.
Speaking at a joint press conference following the meeting, the foreign secretary said: “This is a war and a crisis that has taken so many lives across the region, and of course began with the most horrific events on 7 October.
“But as we head now into 315 days of war, the time for a deal – for those hostages to be returned, for aid to get in in the quantities that are necessary in Gaza and for the fighting to stop – is now. And of course that is the message that we have jointly underlined to ministers today, both in Israel and of course in the occupied territories.”
He also said that the first day of ceasefire and hostage-release talks in Qatar had gone well on Thursday, saying that Israeli officials “hope that we are on the cusp of a deal”. Before the talks began, Hamas, which didn’t participate directly in Thursday’s discussions but would be consulted by mediators Qatar and Egypt, accused Israel of adding new demands to a previous proposal that had US and international support and to which Hamas had agreed in principle. Israel accuses Hamas of adding its own new demands.
More than 100 hostages were released during a week-long ceasefire in November, and around 110 are believed to still be inside Gaza, though Israeli authorities believe around a third of them are dead.
The visit by Mr Lammy came hours after Israeli settlers launched an attack on a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, killing at least one person – the latest in a series of attacks by settlers that have only added to the tensions over the war in gaza. Israeli settlers, some wearing masks, attacked the village, burning cars and houses in Jit, near the city of Nablus.
Three senior Iranian officials told Reuters earlier this week that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would prevent the country from launching direct retaliation against Israel for the assassination of Haniyeh. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement.
Mr Katz told his French and British counterparts during Friday’s meeting that Israel expects support in attacking Iran if it strikes Israel.
He said: “If Iran attacks, we expect the coalition to join Israel not only in defence but also in attacking significant targets in Iran”.
Speaking ahead of the trip, the foreign secretary said it was a vital opportunity to “end the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence”, calling for all parties to engage seriously in the negotiations.
Mediating parties have been attempting to secure an agreement for a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release a number of hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
