UK strongly supports US Gaza ceasefire proposal - Sunak

LONDON - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that together with its allies, the United Kingdom strongly supports a Gaza ceasefire deal proposed by the US to bring an "immediate end to the hostilities".

The Anadolu Agency reported that Sunak's remarks came during his first televised debate with Labour Party leader Keir Starmer on ITV ahead of the general election on July 4 where both answered questions on various issues, including the situation in Gaza and the Rwanda migrant deportation plan.

Discussing Gaza, both politicians were asked what should be done to bring an end to the ongoing humanitarian crisis there.

Starmer said the situation in the Gaza Strip is "intolerable", noting that a ceasefire is needed "straightaway".

"Firstly, we need to get the hostages out. They have been held for a very long time. I dread to think what state they are in,” he said, adding: "We desperately need humanitarian aid into Gaza. It is catastrophic.”

"We have to find a path to a lasting resolution. That has to be a two-state solution."

Sunak described the situation in the besieged enclave as "awful”.

Expressing support for US President Joe Biden’s proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, he said they back the plan to bring an immediate end to the hostilities, release the hostages, get more aid in and then build towards a lasting settlement with a two-state solution.

"We've led in providing more aid to Gaza, something I'm proud that we've done," he added.

The proposal, as laid out by Biden on Friday, envisions a three-phase agreement that would culminate with a multi-year process to rebuild the badly damaged coastal enclave and the return of all hostages, living and dead, held in Gaza. - BERNAMA-ANADOLU