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HomeWorldUK welcomes ‘long overdue’ Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

UK welcomes ‘long overdue’ Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal

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London, Jan 16 (PTI) The UK government on Thursday welcomed a “long overdue” ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, even as both sides continue to finalise the precarious pact expected to involve an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the start of the Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza in its first phase.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the news was what the Israeli and Palestinian people had been waiting for and said the ceasefire must now allow for a “huge surge” in humanitarian aid needed to end the suffering in Gaza.

He reiterated the UK’s support for a “two-state solution” to guarantee security and stability in the region.

“After months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for,” said Starmer.

“They have borne the brunt of this conflict – triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7, 2023.

“The hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families,” he said.

He went on to pay tribute to those who won’t make it home, including the British people who were killed in the attack.

“For the innocent Palestinians whose homes turned into a warzone overnight and the many who have lost their lives, this ceasefire must allow for a huge surge in humanitarian aid, which is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza.

“And then our attention must turn to how we secure a permanently better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people – grounded in a two-state solution that will guarantee security and stability for Israel, alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine state,” he said.

He said the UK and its allies will continue to be at the forefront of trying to “break the cycle of violence and secure long-term peace” in the Middle East.

His statement came as he paid a surprise visit to another warzone closer home in Ukraine, where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital Kyiv and laid a wreath at a memorial for soldiers killed in the conflict with Russia.

He stressed that the UK will “never let up” on support for Ukraine, adding the Labour government is committed to making sure “Ukraine is in the strongest possible position during 2025”.

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also hailed the “moment of hope after over a year of agony” with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement announcement.

“For the hostages and their loved ones, including British citizen Emily Damari, and Eli Sharabi, Oded Lifschitz and Avinatan Or, this has been an unbearable trauma. For the people of Gaza, so many of whom have lost lives, homes or loved ones, this has been a living nightmare. For the region, this has brought yet more division and conflict,” said Lammy.

“With this agreement, hostages and their families will be reunited and Gazans can begin to rebuild their lives. I pay tribute to the tireless diplomatic efforts of Qatar, Egypt and the incoming and outgoing US administrations.

“Much remains to be done – to implement this in full to all phases of the deal and establish a pathway to lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” he said, adding that the UK would play its “full part in the coming days and weeks, working alongside our partners, to seize this chance for a better future”.

India is among the countries to have welcomed the announcement on Wednesday night by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani that a ceasefire agreement would come into effect on Sunday so long as it was approved by the Israeli Cabinet.

US President Joe Biden said it would “halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed-humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the deal’s final details were still being worked on as he thanked Biden for “promoting” it. Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya said it was the result of Palestinian “resilience”. PTI AK GSP GSP

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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