Cameron doesn't think 'sustainable ceasefire' can be achieved until Hamas leaves Gaza

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British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said on Thursday that he wants to see a pause in fighting in Gaza, leading to a “sustainable ceasefire”, followed by the reintroduction of a Palestinian government in the enclave.

"I think we would have to see the Hamas leadership leave Gaza," he told Sky News Arabia. "We would have to be clear that Hamas were no longer capable of rockets and terror attacks."

A “refreshed and revitalised” Palestinian Authority does have a role to play in the future of Gaza, Lord Cameron said.

“It should be the Palestinians running the Palestinian state,” he said.

On the issue of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Lord Cameron has a clear idea of what is required, calling for 500 lorries a day to cross the border with vital aid.

He said the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel must be “open all week, every day of the week”, with the Port of Ashdod also made available.

“The United Nations staff inside Gaza, they need visas to get staff in, they need armoured cars to get the food and other aid around Gaza, and they also need the fuel to deliver that,” he said.

Lord Cameron also called for the water to be switched back on in Gaza.

“Ultimately, Israel bears a big responsibility for making sure that there isn't hunger, there isn't starvation, there isn't disease in Gaza,” he said.

He said Israel, Egypt and the UK have things to do to make sure aid is getting through.

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Lord Cameron said the UK is “standing up for the freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea amid an escalation in attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen.

“We gave warning after warning and military action was very much the last resort,” he said.

“But ultimately you have to back your words and your warnings with action in order that people can see you're very serious about the issue that you're raising.”

Lord Cameron said he had held numerous calls with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in recent days, despite the two countries having a “difficult relationship”.

Lord Cameron said relations are strained because of the support Iran gives to Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, who are behind the attacks in the Red Sea.