London, Thanasis Gavos

“Immediate and sustainable” humanitarian ceasefires in Gaza, like those already in place weeks ago, to allow Hamas hostages to return to Israel and allow more humanitarian aid to pass through, Lord David Cameron has called.

The British foreign secretary answered foreign policy questions in the House of Lords on Tuesday afternoon and said these pauses would help create the conditions for a durable peace.

“We would like to see such a pause starting right now,” he said.

On the prospect of a truce, he reiterated that the British government wanted a “sustainable truce” rather than an immediate truce.

Describing what a “sustainable” ceasefire meant, he said it meant that Hamas would no longer have power in the Gaza Strip and would not be able to threaten Israel with rockets or other forms of terrorism.

Regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian civilians in Gaza, he said that the best and fastest way is by trucks and that more of them are needed to pass through the region to distribute the aid available from many countries.

Asked about his earlier comment that he was “concerned” about whether Israel may have violated international humanitarian law with its operations in Gaza, Lord Cameron commented that he meant it was his “job” to worry about these things.

“We always urge Israel to obey international humanitarian law and it is very important that we do so,” he added.