Gaza ‘a living hell’: Keir Starmer says Middle East ‘cannot endure’ another year of conflict
Keir Starmer has paid tribute to those killed when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October last year, as he addressed MPs amid the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
The prime minister told the House that today is “a day of sorrow, a day of grief”, reflecting on the more than “1,000 people massacred” in the worst killing of Jews since the Holocaust.
Starmer noted that 15 British citizens were killed on 7 October 2023, adding another has died since in captivity.
Speaking about the wider conflict, the prime minister said the “human toll amongst innocent civilians in Gaza is truly devastating”, with more than 41,000 Palestinians killed, tens of thousands orphaned and almost two million displaced.
“We stand with all innocent victims in Israel, Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and beyond,” he said. “And we stand with all communities here in the United Kingdom against hatred of Jews or Muslims.”
Starmer said that the region “cannot endure” another year like the last, calling for all sides to “now step back from the brink and find the courage of restraint”.
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