Israel ‘tarnishing reputation', Lammy says as country rejects UK warnings
Earlier on Monday, Mr Lammy and counterparts from 24 other nations including France, Canada and Australia urged Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid.
They condemned the government's 'dangerous' system for delivering humanitarian assistance, which they said 'deprives Gazans of human dignity.'
'We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,' the statement, which was also signed by the EU commissioner for equality, said.
The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.
Alongside 25 other partners, the UK message is clear: the war in Gaza must end now.
We need an immediate ceasefire, release of all hostages and a full resumption of aid.https://t.co/drlpbidmWl
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 21, 2025
In response, Israel's foreign ministry claimed the statement was 'disconnected from reality' and 'sends the wrong message to Hamas.'
'The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas's role and responsibility for the situation,' the ministry said.
'Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides.
'At these sensitive moments in the ongoing negotiations, it is better to avoid statements of this kind.'
Asked about the situation later on Monday, Mr Lammy told the Commons: 'That ignoring of the international community is tarnishing greatly the reputation of Israel.
'We continue, of course, to look at what further we may need to do as he would expect.'
Palestinians have been subjected to a 'grotesque spectacle' and a 'litany of horrors,' he said, adding: 'I utterly condemn the killing of civilians seeking to meet their basic needs.
'I firmly believe the Israeli government's actions are doing untold damage to Israel's standing in the world, and undermining Israel's long-term security.'
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller had earlier asked Mr Lammy: 'Can he explain why there have been so few consequences since he and the minister spoke so powerfully in the last two months?
'And can he dispel the widespread view that he is not setting the policy he would choose, but that he is instead being reined in by No 10's desire not to upset President Trump, by acting more boldly.'
Mr Lammy said 'it is a source of great regret' that the conflict has not been brought to an end.
Earlier this month Israeli defence minister Israel Katz laid out plans for the 'humanitarian city' in Rafah, Gaza's most southern city which has been heavily damaged through the war.
He reportedly said that the military would initially move 600,000 Palestinians there, with the aim of eventually transferring the whole population to Rafah.
'Proposals to remove the Palestinian population into a 'humanitarian city' are completely unacceptable,' the foreign ministers said on Monday.
'Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.'
The signatories also pledged that they would be 'prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire'.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry have said dozens of people were killed trying to access food aid over the weekend.
At the Commons Liaison Committee, Sir Keir Starmer reiterated his commitment to recognising a Palestinian state and described the situation in Gaza as 'intolerable'.
'Whether that's the deaths of those that are queuing for aid, whether it's the plans to force Palestinians to live in certain areas or be excluded from certain areas, they are all intolerable and absolutely wrong in principle,' he said.
Sir Keir's Government also faced criticism from the Labour chairwoman of the Commons International Development Committee over the continued supply of parts for the F-35 fighter jet to Israel.
Sarah Champion said: 'Alongside 25 other countries, the UK has issued a statement condemning Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank but failed to provide concrete actions on how they will be held to account.
'The committee's recent report on upholding international law, and our challenge on F-35 components, both give the Government practical tools to compel Israel to meet its obligations as an occupying nation.'
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The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
David Lammy's condemnation of the atrocities in Gaza is an important breakthrough
The images coming out of Gaza of emaciated, dying children are, as the foreign secretary David Lammy says, appalling and sickening. They cannot be dismissed as propaganda, and even the Israeli authorities have not sought to do so. They are, in human terms and by any standard, atrocities – just as surely as those inflicted on innocent people by Hamas terrorists on 7 October 2023 were also atrocities. This latest wave of human suffering should evoke yet more anguish among all civilised peoples. It is time, as Mr Lammy and his colleagues from 27 other nations plead in an open letter, for the war in Gaza to end. Realistically, it will not – at least not immediately. The Israeli government, with unconscious irony, dismisses the calls for an end to the fighting as 'disconnected from reality' and 'sending the wrong message to Hamas'. As opposed, critics might wonder, to the 'message' the Netanyahu government is currently sending to Hamas, which is that peace will never come, the IDF is set on the literal destruction of Gaza as a place of human habitation, and that they, Hamas, as terrorists, therefore have nothing to lose, whether they release the remaining hostages or not (and which they should do, in any case, without delay). So there is no change yet in Israeli policy. It has even opened up a new front by intervening in Syria, unleashing more agonies, as The Independent 's Bel Trew reports. The Israeli Defence Force is engaged in another major military offensive, this time in central Gaza, and the shelling goes on. Tens of thousands of people have been told, yet again, to move to safety, when there is no sanctuary anywhere, not least because of the terrible shortages of the means of life – clean water, food, shelter. There are credible reports that Israeli forces are systematically destroying what few structures remain standing across Gaza. In planned demolitions, to already damaged buildings and ones that appear largely intact, former homes, schools and other civilian infrastructure are being blown up. The plan to crush millions of people into a cynically labelled 'humanitarian city', which will be anything but safe, is still in place. The equally misnomered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by Israel and the United States, is failing to deliver aid; instead, people are dying in the ensuing chaos. One witness, the British doctor Nick Maynard, says people at aid sites are being used as target practice (a claim rejected by the IDF). Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general with the UN Palestine aid agency, calls the sites a 'sadistic death trap'. There was a time when combatants in any war would not target United Nations agency posts and personnel. Not in the case of the Israeli occupying forces in Gaza, where the World Health Organisation's staff residence, main warehouse and health hub were attacked. The WHO reports that 'Israeli military forces entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint.' The suffering of the people of Gaza is on an apocalyptic scale, bombarded and besieged virtually without respite, and visited by conquest, war, famine and death. It seems hopeless – but the last thing the Palestinian people need from the West is a counsel of despair. Mr Lammy has called out what Israel has been doing, taken some, as yet inadequate action, and come as close as he can to condemning Israel for war crimes: 'Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.' Many would urge him to go further. Lord Sumption, a universally respected lawyer, has argued that 'the conduct of Israel in Gaza is grossly disproportionate and there's at least an arguable case that it's genocidal '. Mr Lammy and the other 27 foreign ministers have the option to echo that kind of language. He is urged to do so – but he is right to hold back, and, for the time being, await the International Court to come to a judgment. Why? Because the only consideration about what to do next should be whether it will have any appreciable impact on what's happening on the ground. Recognising a Palestinian state and setting up a British embassy in Ramallah wouldn't save the life of single Palestinian baby. Nor would an outright charge of genocide. Not yet, at any rate. What would matter is if the Americans can be persuaded to put pressure on Israel to end the war and the famine: after all, this is Donald Trump 's declared policy. Loyal as he is to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli leader has been testing President Trump's patience in recent months. When Karoline Leavitt, the forthright White House spokesperson, reveals that the president has been 'caught off guard' by recent Israeli bombings in Syria and of a church in Gaza, and called his friend Bibi to 'rectify' the situation, it does at least show that action is possible. In May, Mr Trump expressed concern about people starving, and perhaps, as with Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine, the president may slowly be coming to realise that Mr Netanyahu has also been playing him along; he might take decisive action that would stop the killings in a day. But if Washington remains impassive, then once again a ' coalition of the willing ' must be formed to do whatever it takes to pressure Israel – diplomatic recognition of Palestine, a full arms embargo, trade sanctions and economic pressure. Especially if this is done in concert with Israel's influential regional neighbours, such as Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. ends the war in Gaza – now.
STV News
25 minutes ago
- STV News
Tram power lines shutdown after demonstrators 'ignore safety issues'
A pro-Palestinian demonstration is set to be rerouted to avoid protesters getting close to the tram line, after an emergency shutdown of power lines was needed at a march over the weekend. Police Scotland expressed concerns over the August 9 march after a demonstration on Saturday saw 'frantic calls' to get the power to the trams cut off over electrocution concerns. They said that the rally's route was changed two days before it started, which made policing it more difficult and led to road closures not being in place in time. The August 9 march, which is estimated to have 500 participants, is set to be held on the same day as a major Orange walk, which will see 1,500 participants descend on the city centre at the height of the festival. The city's licensing sub-committee considered two pro-Palestine demonstrations from the organisers of Saturday's march on Monday, with one set to run on August 2 and the other on August 9. Police sergeant Grant Robinson said: 'Our assessment was that serious safety issues were frankly ignored by participants and stewards. 'Many presented waving high flags and banners on approach to the Edinburgh Tram line. 'This resulted in an emergency shutdown of the overhead power cables, as if the flags or banners touched or came near these items, the electricity would have arced, causing serious injury or worse. 'It's essential that we have agreed routes with sufficient notice, so that safety measures can be put in place in advance, as this caused frantic calls between police and Edinburgh Trams to enable the shutdown.' A spokesperson for Edinburgh Trams confirmed that the power lines were shut down for 15 minutes on Saturday over safety concerns. Sergeant Robinson also said the 'number, ability and knowledge' of the protest stewards was concerning to the police service. He said Police Scotland was willing to arrange third-party free training sessions to 'upskill' stewards. The organisers of the event were not present, having asked if the council sub-committee meeting could be delayed so they could attend. Council officers proposed that the routes of the pro-Palestine rally on August 2 be swapped with one on the 9th, in order to space out the demonstrations happening on that day. Councillors elected not to swap the routes, but modified the route of the march on the 9th to keep it away from the Edinburgh Trams infrastructure. Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Caldwell asked if the organisers could be sanctioned for not attending the sub-committee meeting or for amending the routes of past demonstrations. Council officer Max Mitchell replied: 'This is not a license application, notification of parades. There is no sanction for not attending the committee. 'What the act simply says is that if the council makes an order, and the organiser departs from the terms of that order, that would potentially become a matter for Police Scotland, and would become a statutory offence under the act.' Sergeant Robinson said the police would only charge organisers as a last resort, continuing to say: 'We are very practical. We take an informed, reasonable approach. 'We're looking to do the, you know, engage encourage educate, before we really go down that route. 'I very much stress that we do not want to charge people for exercising their right [to protest], but it is a qualified right.' Addressing the request by council officers to swap the routes of the two marches, Conservative councillor and sub-committee convener Joanna Mowat said: 'I would be mindful not to alter their fundamental structure, as in, they want to go up to the American consulate. 'I don't know why they want to go on the second of August, but that's not relevant for us. 'I would be minded, because we are going to have to do something on the 9th, which is quite a big change that we're going to have to make to their routes, that I wouldn't alter the dates. 'I think public safety has asked us to do that, but I'm not sure we have justification to do that.' For the march on the 9th, committee agreed a new route intended to keep protesters away from the trams, which would run from Waverley Bridge and up Market Street, turning left at the Mound. The previous route had an ambiguous staging area of the Mound itself, which could take protesters close to the tramway at the junction with Princes Street. Cllr Mowat said: 'They shouldn't be going anywhere near tram lines with their banners at that point. 'I mean, obviously that's going to be a conversation public safety is going to have to have with them, because the next thing we're going to have to say is that there will be a no-banners march if they're going anywhere near the tram line.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
How Gaza's aid crisis broke Hamas and starved the Strip
When Israel launched its controversial US-backed aid plan for Gaza, it aimed to stop Hamas's alleged profiteering from the seizure and sale of humanitarian supplies. The aid delivery plan overseen by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has proved a blood-soaked catastrophe. The Gazan health authorities report that hundreds of people have been killed by gunfire as they queue for food at the GHF aid points controlled by Israeli troops and American contractors. It has also caused Hamas's worst financial crisis in decades, Israeli officials report. The terror group has been unable to pay its fighters or repair its network of tunnels and hideouts beneath the Strip. Cash shortages have also left Hamas reportedly unable to pay salaries for police or ministry employees. Money reserves amassed before, or during the early stages of, the war have run short, while Israeli strikes have devastated the leadership and fractured its grip on the besieged territory. Hamas for years received large sums from Iran, Qatar and others, and was also able to tax cross-border commerce. Israel has long alleged that Hamas also made money by seizing and selling international aid entering Gaza, though this has been denied by the United Nations and aid agencies. That income ended, officials say, when Israel imposed a blockade in March, and then began using the GHF, set up jointly by the US and Israel, to run aid hubs and bypass UN-run distributions. The UN, the European Commission and major international aid organisations have said they have no evidence that Hamas has systematically stolen their aid. The Israeli government has not provided proof. Twenty-eight countries including Britain, this week condemned the new aid arrangements, amid widespread reports of starvation, and hundreds of people being shot as they tried to get food. The countries' joint statement described as 'horrifying' the recent deaths of over 800 Palestinians who were seeking aid, according to the figures released by Gaza's Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, and the UN human rights office. 'The Israeli government's aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,' the countries said. 'The Israeli government's denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.' Palestinian health officials have said at least 101 people have died of hunger during the conflict, most of them in recent weeks. Food that does arrive in the coastal Strip is often sold and resold at extortionate prices, said Rabiha Abdel Aziz, a 75-year-old mother of nine living in a displacement camp in western Gaza. 'I don't know how people can eat,' she told The Telegraph, explaining that the family can no longer even afford a kilo of flour, which currently costs £26. She said: 'My grandchildren wake up in the morning and ask me for a piece of bread that we don't will we get the money to buy food at this price? We are dying of hunger and bombing.' 'People collapse in the streets' Salem Jehad, a father of four who is living in a camp west of Gaza city, said he was unable to find milk for his newborn son. He said: 'All my children have lost half their weight, and I am the same. Most people don't have money. 'Two years without work during the war, with the crossings closed and aid entering scarcely, people are collapsing in the streets from weakness and hunger. We drink water with salt to satisfy our hunger.' Mr Jehad said access to food had dramatically worsened since GHF took over the distribution and he wanted a return to the previous UN-run model. The UN said on Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the GHF began operations in May. Aid distributions have been marred by chaotic scenes and frequent reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations. Israel's military has disputed previous death tolls, but has said its troops have at times fired warning shots, and it is investigating accusations of civilian deaths. Mr Jehad said: 'Now we are running into death traps. Gazans are dying to bring a kilo of flour and rice. Hamas's mistake over 'strategy of suffering' Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who leads the Realign for Palestine lobby group, said that Hamas had counted on the humanitarian crisis to bring the war to an end. He told the Post: 'Hamas's strategy relied on the suffering of Gazans. 'But when this strategy failed, it foolishly doubled down on this approach, in large part because it had nothing else in its toolbox to deal with Israel's ferocious reaction to Oct 7 and the world's inability to stop it.' Lior Akerman, the head of national resilience at the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at Reichman University, and a former chief of staff in Shin Bet, Israel's MI5, said Hamas had 'almost completely disintegrated in the Gaza Strip'. He said: 'All the senior commanders were killed and all the frameworks of the fighting disintegrated. 'Today, in the absence of commanders, Hamas members in the Gaza Strip are operating like independent, armed militias. 'In every area, the terrorists continue to do the best they can with the weapons they possess, and they are effectively waging a guerrilla war against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). 'This type of fighting could last for years and wear down the IDF in a never-ending war.' Truce negotiations held up Israel and Hamas are holding indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a 60-day truce and a hostage release deal. But there has been no sign of a deal yet, and discussions have reportedly been held up by Hamas's negotiators in Doha being unable to reach representatives in Gaza since late last week. Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence analyst, said as Hamas had been degraded in Gaza, the group's centre of gravity had shifted to abroad. He said that with only Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, commander of the Gaza City Brigade, remaining as a senior figure in Gaza, 'a dramatic change has occurred'. 'The centre of gravity shifted from the Strip to Hamas abroad,' he said. 'And in particular to Khalil al-Khayya, who was very much involved in the planning of Oct 7 and continues to lead an extremist line from the Hamas base in Qatar.'
