British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in his first phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since his election, urged all parties to exercise “caution” on the border between Israel and Lebanon on Sunday.
A representative from Starmer’s 10 Downing Street office stated that the “situation on the northern border of Israel was very concerning, and it was crucial all parties acted with caution” during the phone call. This comes after Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, in a show of support for the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, fired another 20 rockets at northern Israel on Sunday, injuring one person. These cross-border strikes are the latest in a near-daily exchange of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli army across Lebanon’s southern border since Hamas attacked Israel last year, sparking the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
During the conversation, Starmer expressed his condolences for the mass loss of life during the October 7 attacks, reiterating the “clear and urgent need for a ceasefire, the return of hostages and an immediate increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching civilians.”
The British Prime Minister also stressed the importance of establishing “long-term conditions for a two-state solution, including ensuring the Palestinian Authority had the financial means to operate effectively.”
Efforts to reach a truce are ongoing, with US, Qatari, and Egyptian mediators working to halt the worst-ever Gaza war, which has resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread devastation in the coastal territory.
In addition to his call with Netanyahu, Starmer also spoke with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. The British Prime Minister told Abbas that his “longstanding policy on recognition to contribute to a peace process had not changed, and it was the undeniable right of Palestinians.”
The October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Hamas also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 the military says are dead. In response, Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 38,153 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
