UK’s new foreign minister Lammy seeks immediate Gaza ceasefire in Middle East trip

Britain’s new foreign secretary, David Lammy, will press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages during a trip to Israel and occupied Palestinian territories on Sunday, the foreign office said.

Lammy will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and make the case for a “credible and irreversible pathway towards a two-state solution,” the foreign office said in a statement.

“The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable. This war must end now, with an immediate ceasefire, complied with by both sides,” Lammy said.

He will raise with Netanyahu the issue of 680 tons of British aid that is waiting to enter Gaza, the foreign office said.

Lammy’s Labour Party, elected in a landslide earlier this month despite setbacks in areas with large Muslim populations amid discontent over its position on Gaza, has said long-term peace and security in the Middle East would be an immediate focus.

It has committed to recognizing a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution.