Starmer to prioritise Gaza in talks with Trump in Scotland
Fletcher said the time frame was 'clearly insufficient', telling the BBC that the UN was witnessing a '21st-century atrocity'.
He described the next few days as 'make or break', adding that the 100 or so truckloads of aid that were distributed in the Strip yesterday were 'a drop in the ocean' and that much of it 'got looted'.
Britain does not want a 'tokenistic' recognition of a Palestinian state, a senior minister has said.
Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said that Britain wanted to recognise Palestine in this parliament, but argued this had to be done 'in a way that gets the breakthrough we need'.
'Many countries around the world have already done this — to be frank, to be candid, that hasn't stopped the appalling scenes that we're talking about this morning,' he said.
'We can only do this once. If we do it in a way which is tokenistic, which doesn't produce the end to this conflict, where do we go to next?'
Airdrops of aid into Gaza will not be enough to end starvation, the government has acknowledged.
Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, said: 'We know the only way to get sufficient quantities of aid into Gaza is for that blockade to end, for those vehicles to get in on the ground. The point about the air drops is that we cannot wait. We've got to do something. It's an unconscionable situation.'
Only the US can persuade Israel to let in more aid to Gaza and restart peace talks, the business secretary has acknowledged.
Jonathan Reynolds said Sir Keir Starmer would seek to persuade President Trump to do more at a meeting today because 'the US are the ones with real leverage' in the Middle East.
'We need the US. Only the US can really make the kind of breakthrough as a third country that we need to see in terms of the end of this conflict,' he told Sky News.
A pause in Israeli military action is thought to have begun in three areas of Gaza to 'improve the humanitarian response'.
The halt in activity was due to begin this morning at 10am local time (8am UK time), lasting until 8pm local time (6pm UK time). Israel's military said it would come into force on a daily basis in Gaza City, al-Mawasi and Deir al-Balah.
Israel also confirmed on Monday morning that 120 truckloads of aid were distributed in Gaza yesterday by the UN and aid agencies.
Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, has also said that he will use a planned meeting with Trump to call for more humanitarian aid and a ceasefire in Gaza.
He told BBC Breakfast: 'The international situation is causing deep unease and concern and heartbreak within Scotland, particularly the situation in Gaza.'
Swinney said the 'blunt human reality' is that the people of Gaza face starvation and there 'must be an intensification of pressure on Israel'.
Trump is 'perhaps uniquely positioned to apply that pressure to Israel', he said.Swinney said he also plans to discuss trade, investment and economic connection.
Also on the table when Starmer meets Trump will be the future of tariffs on British steel.
The US and UK have agreed to slash trade barriers but tariffs for the steel industry were left at 25 per cent rather than falling to zero as originally agreed.
Downing Street said that both sides were working 'at pace' to 'go further to deliver benefits to working people on both sides of the Atlantic' and to give UK industry 'the security it needs'.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss the war in Ukraine, which No 10 said would include 'applying pressure' on President Putin to end the invasion.
Starmer and Trump will then travel on together for a private engagement in Aberdeen.
The prime minister is said to be 'horrified' by images of starvation in Gaza and will prioritise the issue when he meets President Trump at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland.
No 10 said Sir Keir Starmer would raise 'what more can be done' to secure a ceasefire and 'bring an end to the unspeakable suffering and starvation'.
Trump said the pair would be 'discussing a lot about Israel', adding that Starmer was 'very much involved in terms of wanting something to happen'.
Starmer is expected to attempt to set out a 'UK peace plan' and revive wider efforts to reach a solution in Gaza. He insists that British recognition of a Palestinian state is a matter of 'when, not if' and is seeking to do so as part of a co-ordinated international effort.
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The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Growing number of Jewish American groups speak out over Gaza famine
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While emotional attachment to Israel is widespread among Jewish Americans, polling has consistently found that support for the state's current policies drops with age, a phenomenon perhaps best reflected in the community's support for the New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, whom opponents have sought to tar with accusations of antisemitism over his vocal support for Palestinian rights. Despite those accusations, however, a recent poll found him leading with 67% of the votes of American Jewish voters in New York under the age of 44. That figure dropped to 25% of voters over 45. 'Zohran Mamdani's triumph in New York City's Democratic primary for mayor has forced, among many Jews, a reckoning with how far they have drifted from one another,' Klein wrote. Organizers of an action planned for Monday in New York City hope that groups that have not turned out before will do so to protest under the banner 'Jews Say: No More'. 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Sky News
44 minutes ago
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India hints it will keep buying Russian oil
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Hamas releases shocking video of Israeli hostage looking like a concentration camp victim after 666 days in captivity
Hamas has released a horrifying video of an emaciated Israeli hostage after 666 days in captivity - as his devastated family said he only has a few days left to live. Evyatar David's family approved the use of the terrorist organisation's video on Saturday, which shows him bare chested on a dirty mattress inside a tunnel in Gaza. He can be seen writing on a piece of paper on the wall and walking around in the tunnel which is just tall enough for him stand up. The video goes on to accuse Israel of starving not only Palestinians but Israeli hostages as well. The last proof of life from Evyatar, who was taken hostage from the Nova music festival during the October 7 attacks, was back in February. Then Hamas published a video of him and fellow hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal sitting inside a car as they watched other captives being released from Gaza. In a statement today, the David family said: 'We are forced to witness our beloved son and brother, Evyatar David, deliberately and cynically starved in Hamas's tunnels in Gaza - a living skeleton, buried alive. 'Our son has only a few days left to live in his current condition. Hamas is using our son as a live experiment in a vile hunger campaign. 'The deliberate starvation of our son as part of a propaganda campaign is one of the most horrifying acts the world has seen. He is being starved purely to serve Hamas's propaganda. 'Israel and the international community must oppose Hamas's cruelty and ensure that our Evyatar immediately receives proper nutrition.' The Instagram account 'Bring Evyatar Home' also posted on social media 'The Holocaust must end' as they shared the latest images of him. Meanwhile on Thursday, Islamic Jihad released a hostage video, showing a starved Rom Braslavski crying and begging for his life. Families of Israeli hostages criticised the shocking images of the hostages in Gaza. Speaking at a demonstration against the Israeli government on Saturday, the mother of hostage Matan Angrest said her son was too going through a Holocaust. 'I am the image of failure for the prime minister. I avoided using the word Holocaust until now, because I am a daughter of a Holocaust survivor,' Anat Angrest said. 'My father is going through a second Holocaust through his grandson. We see videos of the Holocaust in colour. 'The 2025 Holocaust is continuing and extending thanks to the Israeli government,' she added. Einav Zangauker, the mother of Israeli hostage Matan Zangauker, said: 'In recent days, we saw the difficult videos of Rom and Evyatar from captivity. 'Our children are undergoing a Holocaust. Jews are becoming skin and bones because of political survival. 'If we don't free everyone now, they will not survive for much longer,' Zangauker said. She has repeatedly accused Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu of prolonging the war for his own political survival. The Hostage Forum in Israel also released a scathing statement following the images of Evyatar, appealing directly to both the Israeli and American governments. 'Look our loved ones – and us – in the eyes. The danger to their lives is tangible and immediate,' it read. 'The risk of losing those deceased is growing. This is the time for a comprehensive deal and an end to the war. 'No more delays. No more leaving them behind. Stop this nightmare and bring them out of the tunnels and home,' the forum said. Vicky Cohen, mother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, posted the word: 'Holocaust 2025' on X after seeing the video of David. Former hostage, Eliya Cohen, said that seeing the video of Evyatar took him back to the day a terrorist came to him and said: 'There's no more food, no more water, no more anything. 'You'll eat whatever is left of our food, because your people are starving us — so we'll starve you.' 'Don't get me wrong,' Cohen continued: 'I don't have an ounce of compassion for those sons of b******. 'But while we're being shredded in the global media, the people we're trying to target are sitting underground, and 90 percent of the time they're in the kitchen, trading maqluba recipes, dipping hummus.' Opposition Leader Yair Lapid meanwhile asked ministers in Netanyahu's government to 'watch the video of Evyatar before going to bed and try to fall asleep while thinking about Evyatar trying to survive in a tunnel.' Israel's Foreign Ministry said that Evyatar is known for his 'kind soul and musical talent. He dreams of traveling to Asia and studying music production.' US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with families of hostages in Tel Aviv on Saturday, where he stressed that the current plan is to end the war and not expand it. 'A majority of Israelis want the hostages at home, and a majority of Gaza's public wants the return of hostages because they want the rehabilitation of the Strip, Witkoff said. 'There is no victory without bringing everyone home; all of you have become part of my family.'
