UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has communicated to Israel’s President Isaac Herzog the necessity for “immediate steps” towards a ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza.
According to a statement from Starmer’s office, the Prime Minister emphasised the urgency of a ceasefire to facilitate the release of hostages and allow increased humanitarian aid to reach those critically in need.
The statement also reaffirmed Starmer’s support for Israel’s right to self-defense under international law.
In the same vein, the evacuation of 150 ill and injured Palestinian children from Gaza to the UAE for medical treatment has been postponed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as reported by an Israeli media outlet.
The children, who were scheduled to travel through Israel to the UAE on Monday, will remain in Gaza following an order from Netanyahu after the incident in Majdal Shams.
The delay will see the children’s departure from Israel’s Ramon Airbase put on hold, with no new date provided for their journey. The UAE has not yet made a statement regarding this delay.
The Gaza Strip’s Health Ministry announced on Sunday that the death toll in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has surged to at least 39,324.
This announcement comes as the war nears its tenth month, marking one of the deadliest and most prolonged conflicts in recent history.
In a statement, the ministry reported that 66 individuals had been killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of injured to 90,830 since the conflict began on October 7, 2023.
The conflict, which erupted following a series of escalations, has seen unprecedented levels of violence and destruction in the region.
The war has resulted in significant civilian casualties and extensive damage to infrastructure, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The current conflict between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, began in October 2023.
