New foreign secretary calls for immediate ceasefire

On his first visit to the Middle East, foreign secretary David Lammy has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the release of all hostages and a rapid increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Lammy is visiting Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on his first visit to the Middle East as foreign secretary.

The foreign secretary met with Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and President Herzog to reiterate the need to end the conflict in Gaza and secure the release of hostages. He also met with the Palestinian Authority's President Abbas and Prime Minister Mustafa in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and underlined his commitment to recognising a Palestinian state as an undeniable right of the Palestinian people.

Lammy said: "The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. This war must end now, with an immediate ceasefire, complied with by both sides. The fighting has got to stop, the hostages still cruelly detained by Hamas terrorists need to be released immediately and aid must be allowed in to reach the people of Gaza without restrictions.

"I am meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to stress the UK’s ambition and commitment to play its full diplomatic role in securing a ceasefire deal and creating the space for a credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution. The world needs a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.

"Central to this is to see an end to expanding illegal Israeli settlements and rising settler violence in the West Bank. Here, in what should be a crucial part of a Palestinian state, alongside Gaza and East Jerusalem, we need to see a reformed and empowered Palestinian Authority.

"It has also been announced that the UK will provide another £5.5m this year to UK-Med, a frontline medical aid charity who send experienced humanitarian medics, including those working in the NHS, to crisis-hit regions to deliver life and limb-saving health care."