Biden, Starmer and European leaders to call for more aid to enter Gaza

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Germany on Friday where he will meet US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Mr Starmer will push Israel to comply with international humanitarian law, including ensuring routes are open for aid to flow in.

Israel-Gaza war one year on - in pictures

This week, the British government called for Israel to take immediate action to improve the deteriorating humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, with access to basic services worsening and the UN reporting barely any food has entered in the past two weeks.

Figures released this week by the Israeli military claim the amount of aid allowed into Gaza in the first 12 days of October was less than what the territory received daily before more than a year of war drastically increased needs.

On Tuesday, the military said it had allowed 9,000 tonnes of humanitarian assistance into the strip this month. The deliveries included “food, water, gas, shelter equipment and medical supplies”. The military claimed in a post on X that aid was also sent to northern Gaza, which has been under siege by Israeli forces for almost two weeks.

An aid tracker maintained by Cogat, the Israeli military body overseeing civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, claims that 465 lorries entered the strip between October 1 and 12, which is less than the 500 lorries Gaza needed every day before the war.

UN figures show that only 241 lorries of aid entered Gaza in the first 10 days of the month. The US on Monday gave Israel 30 days to address the humanitarian situation in Gaza or risk a reduction in weapons shipments.

Mr Starmer has been clear that the UK continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence and security against the attacks it faced on October 7, 2023.

Along with its international partners, the UK continues to urge all sides in the region to exercise restraint to avoid further escalation, and create the space for a negotiated, diplomatic solution to the conflict.

The leaders will also discuss the latest situation in Ukraine, after the presentation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s victory plan to the Ukrainian parliament this week.

The UK’s has reaffirmed its support for Ukraine and has committed to providing £3 billion ($3.9 billion) in military support every year.

Along with its international partners, the government is committed to ensuring Ukraine is in the strongest possible position in the coming months, for as long as it takes for Russia to withdraw.