2 months ago
23
ARTICLE AD BOX
The world "will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance" from Israel on the situation in Gaza, the prime minister has said.
Speaking following a meeting with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer sought to make the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar a turning point in the current conflict in the Middle East.
Sir Keir told a news conference that "no one should mourn" Sinwar - and the "blood of innocent Israelis" and the "blood of innocent Palestinians" is on his hands.
Middle East latest: Hamas claim leader's death will 'strengthen us'
He added that "we must make the most of this moment" and called again for a ceasefire.
The prime minister said: "What is needed now is a ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate access to humanitarian aid and return to the path towards the two-state solution.
"That's the only way to deliver long term peace and security; the humanitarian situation cannot continue.
"And I say once again to Israel, the world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance. Civilians in northern Gaza need food now."
This echoes a statement Sir Keir made to the UN at the end of last month.
The Israeli military has said it allowed 30 trucks of humanitarian aid into northern Gaza on Friday.
When asked if he would consider further suspensions of arms sales to Israel, Sir Keir said his position has not changed since the last decision - and the UK still supports Israel's right to defend itself, "particularly in the face of the Iranian regime's actions".
Read more:
Israeli strike 'kills 28 including children'
Who is Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar?
Also discussed at the meeting of "the quad" of Western leader was the situation in Ukraine, the prime minister said.
He said that - as "Ukraine enters a difficult winter" - Russia is getting weaker.
Sir Keir said "40%" of Moscow's budget is being taken up by the conflict, and the nation last month suffered "the highest daily casualty rate so far".
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Asked by Sky News about reports North Korean troops are being deployed into Russia to assist in the conflict against Ukraine, the UK leader said - were they true - it would be "an act of desperation" from the Putin regime.
Sir Keir said Western nations would continue to support Ukraine, adding that 95% of the equipment the UK promised to fast track to Kyiv in July is now there.
Spreaker This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only.
👉 Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈
He said that, alongside the G7, there is work to send "€50bn [£42bn]" to Ukraine from "the proceeds of frozen Russian assets".
The prime minister was asked by journalists about domestic matters - including the budget later this month and the recent row of attending Taylor Swift shows - but said he would not pre-empt the former and ignored the query on the latter.
English (US)