Fri Sep 20 08:48:24 UTC 2024: ## UK Calls for Immediate Ceasefire and Hostage Release in Gaza, Condemns Israeli Settlements
**New York, October 26, 2023:** The UK has called for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, expressing deep concern over the escalating humanitarian crisis in the region. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, made the statement at a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.
Woodward highlighted the devastating toll of the conflict, with over forty thousand deaths in Gaza and widespread destruction of infrastructure, leaving the population facing the threat of famine and disease. She also expressed alarm over the plight of 101 hostages still held captive in Gaza, facing unimaginable suffering.
The UK urged Hamas and Israel to finalize a ceasefire and hostage release deal, citing the commendable efforts of the US, Qatar, and Egypt. “Force will not provide a sustainable solution to the conflict,” Woodward stated, emphasizing the need for a negotiated solution.
“We call upon Hamas to grant the ICRC humanitarian access to the hostages whose ordeal continues,” she added, urging Hamas to “let them go.”
The UK also called on Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid access to Gaza, urging them to allow the UN and humanitarian actors to carry out their work. This includes de-conflicting operations, reopening land routes for aid, and supporting preparations for the upcoming winter by allowing a rapid increase in shelter and infrastructure repair materials.
Beyond the immediate crisis in Gaza, Woodward expressed deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, condemning the continued expansion of Israeli settlements, which she called “a clear violation of international law.”
She also condemned the harassment and violence against Palestinian communities by Israeli settlers, urging Israel to hold those responsible accountable. The UK reiterated its position that any attempt to alter the geographic or demographic make-up of the Occupied Palestinian Territories through force is “wholly unacceptable and illegal.”
Finally, the UK called for a renewed political process towards a two-state solution, echoing the International Court of Justice’s recommendation for Israel to end its presence in the Occupied Territories as soon as possible.
“Peace must be premised upon a safe and secure Israel alongside a safe and secure Palestinian state,” concluded Woodward, emphasizing the need for a negotiated solution that reunifies Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, along the 1967 borders under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
First Piper 