Discussing the conflict, the PM reiterated his condolences for the mass loss of life (File)
London:
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called on all parties to exercise “caution” on the border between Israel and Lebanon, in his first telephone conversation since being elected with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Starmer told his counterpart that “the situation on Israel’s northern border was very worrying and it was crucial that all parties acted with caution”, a spokesperson from his 10 Downing Street office said.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement on Sunday fired another 20 rockets into northern Israel, leaving one person injured, in the latest cross-border attacks launched in solidarity with the Gaza-based Palestinian group Hamas.
Hezbollah has been negotiating almost daily fire with the Israeli army across Lebanon’s southern border since its Palestinian ally, Hamas, attacked Israel last year, triggering the war in Gaza.
When discussing the conflict, the prime minister reiterated his condolences for the mass loss of life during the October 7 attacks, the spokesman said.
“He then laid out the clear and urgent need for a ceasefire, the return of the hostages and an immediate increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching civilians.”
In his conversation with Netanyahu, Starmer added that it was also “important to ensure that the long-term conditions for a two-state solution are in place, including ensuring that the Palestinian Authority has the financial means to operate effectively.”
Efforts towards a truce continue, with mediators from the US, Qatar and Egypt hoping to stop the worst war ever in Gaza, which has caused mass civilian casualties and devastated the coastal territory.
The spokesman said the prime minister also spoke by phone with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.
Starmer told Abbas that his “long-standing policy of recognition to contribute to a peace process has not changed and was an undeniable right of the Palestinians.”
The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on Israeli figures.
Hamas also captured 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 who the military says are dead.
In response, Israel’s military offensive killed at least 38,153 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
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