Sir Keir Starmer has declared that Palestinians have an “inalienable right” to statehood whilst condemning the “unspeakable” suffering unfolding in Gaza, where health officials report nearly 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 and over 100 people have now died from hunger.
The Prime Minister announced emergency talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for today, describing the humanitarian situation in Gaza as having “reached new depths” after months of Israeli military operations and severe restrictions on aid.
“The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible,” the Prime Minister said in a statement released on Thursday. The intervention marks Labour’s strongest language yet on Palestinian statehood since taking office, though the government continues to resist immediate recognition.
Mounting Pressure for Recognition
The statement comes as Sir Keir faces intensifying pressure from within his own party and Muslim organisations across Britain to fulfil Labour’s manifesto pledge on Palestinian recognition. Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who has received thousands in donations from the pro-Israel lobby over the years, called for the recognition of Palestine in a Commons intervention this week.
French President Emmanuel Macron pressed for recognition of Palestinian statehood in a recent address to the UK’s Parliament, saying it was the “only path to peace. Meanwhile, France has indicated that they are going to recognise a Palestinian state in June, whilst Norway and Spain have already taken this step.
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has added his voice to the growing chorus, stating “The UK must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood” and warning that Britain “must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing.
Catastrophic Death Toll
As of 24 July 2025, over 61,800 people (59,866 Palestinians and 1,983 Israelis) have been reported killed in the Gaza war according to the Gaza Health Ministry and Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The figures represent one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 21st century, with scholars estimating 80% of Palestinians killed are civilians.
A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet found the official death toll significantly understates the true scale of casualties. The research estimated 64,260 deaths from traumatic injury during the study period, suggesting the Palestinian MoH under-reported mortality by 41%. The study’s authors noted their findings “underestimate the full impact” as they exclude non-trauma deaths from health service disruption and starvation.
The demographic breakdown reveals the conflict’s devastating impact on vulnerable populations. Women, children (aged <18 years), and older people (aged ≥65 years) accounted for 16,699 (59.1%) of the 28,257 deaths for which age and sex data were available.
Starvation Crisis Deepens
For the first time since the war began, Palestinian officials report that Gazans are dying of hunger in significant numbers. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the 15 starvation-related deaths over the past 24 hours included four children and that the overall toll of 101 included 80 children. Most deaths have occurred in recent weeks as aid restrictions have tightened.
Among them was 6-week-old Yousef al-Safadi, so small in photographs from the silver table of the hospital morgue that the white sleepsuit peeled back to show how his jutting ribs dwarfed his slight body. His uncle told reporters the infant’s mother couldn’t breastfeed due to her own malnutrition, whilst baby formula costs had soared to $100 (£77) per tin when available.
The starvation crisis extends beyond civilians. Medical personnel are also affected by Israel’s starvation tactics as doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in Gaza are “fainting due to hunger and exhaustion”, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said. Even journalists documenting the crisis struggle to work, with AFP warning its Gaza correspondents risk dying from hunger.
Aid System Under Fire
The humanitarian response faces severe criticism from aid organisations and governments alike. More than 100 organisations, including Doctors Without Borders and Save the Children, have put their names to an open letter in which they said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, “waste away.
The controversial US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been particularly condemned. As of July 21, we have recorded 1,054 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 766 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites”, UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters, stating the victims had been “killed by the Israeli military.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has criticised the system, stating: “The new Israeli aid system is inhumane, it’s dangerous, and it deprives Gazans of human dignity. It contradicts long-established humanitarian principles”.
International Response Intensifies
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, described the situation as “a stain on the conscience of the international community”, adding: “With each passing day in Gaza, the violence, starvation and dehumanisation being inflicted on the civilian population by the government of Israel becomes more depraved and unconscionable.
Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s special envoy, said on Thursday the US was cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and sending home its negotiating team after the latest response from Hamas “shows a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. The collapsed negotiations reportedly involved a 60-day ceasefire with phased hostage releases in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Labour’s Delicate Balance
Sir Keir’s latest intervention attempts to navigate between mounting domestic pressure and international diplomatic considerations. During his appearance before the Commons Liaison Committee earlier this week, Starmer said the UK would act “at a time most conducive to the prospects of peace” in the region.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds defended the government’s position, telling LBC Radio: “We are deeply committed to the recognition of Palestine as a state, that was part of our manifesto, but obviously we want that to be meaningful. He cited the lack of political agreement between Hamas-controlled Gaza and the Fatah-led West Bank as a complication.
The government points to concrete actions taken since entering office, including suspending 30 Israeli arms export licences, halting trade talks with the Netanyahu government, and imposing sanctions on violent West Bank settlers and two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers.
Political Consequences Loom
Labour strategists face warnings that Gaza could prove more politically damaging than Iraq. This isn’t going away – it’s bigger than Iraq was and it will still be there at the next general election,” one senior Labour figure recently told me (Gaza independents are projected to win as many as 25 seats). Some fear the party could face historic losses in London’s mayoral elections next year.
The Muslim Council of Britain will deliver a letter to 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, 29th April 2025, urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, signed by hundreds of British Muslim organisations representing thousands across diverse communities.
Path Forward Uncertain
Sir Keir concluded his statement by linking Palestinian statehood to ceasefire negotiations. We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.
The emergency talks with European partners will focus on immediate humanitarian access and longer-term peace efforts. However, with ceasefire negotiations stalled and the humanitarian crisis deepening daily, the pressure on Western governments to take decisive action continues to mount.
As one aid worker in Gaza told reporters: “Each morning, the same question echoes across Gaza: will I eat today?” With over 60,000 dead and starvation spreading, that question grows more urgent with each passing day.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
