UK premier concerned over dire situation in Gaza, occupied West Bank

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - The British prime minister on Wednesday expressed concern over the dire situation in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, saying a lack of aid is affecting hundreds of thousands of people.

"It is becoming increasingly intolerable, and I am deeply concerned, particularly about the lack of aid that is being delivered and the impact it is having on tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people," Keir Starmer said in response to a question during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions in parliament.

He noted that he recently reaffirmed this concern to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, asserting that a two-state solution is the only viable path to peace.

"Our focus is on delivering peace for Palestinians and Israelis, returning to the ceasefire, getting the hostages out and humanitarian aid in that is desperately needed in greater numbers and more quickly," added Starmer.

On Sunday, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan to expand its war on Gaza and occupy more territory inside the Palestinian enclave, paving the way for a full occupation of the Gaza Strip.

Nearly 2.4 million people in Gaza live completely dependent on humanitarian aid, according to World Bank data.

Since March 2, Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings closed to food, medical, and humanitarian aid, deepening an already humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

More than 52,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.