Palestinians must be allowed home to Gaza, PM says

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said Palestinians "must beryllium allowed home" aft President Donald Trump projected a US takeover of Gaza.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir was asked astir a connection by Trump, who suggested the US could crook Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East".

The thought has been wide condemned, with US allies specified arsenic Saudi Arabia and France rejecting the plan.

Sir Keir said the UK authorities supported a two-state solution to resoluteness the struggle betwixt Israel and the Palestinians.

During PMQs, Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey said "many of america were alarmed" to perceive President Trump's comments and branded his connection "dangerous".

Sir Ed asked the premier curate whether helium would acceptable retired his concerns to the White House.

In response, Sir Keir said the the astir important contented was the continuation of the Gaza ceasefire woody negotiated betwixt Israel and Hamas.

"That means that the remaining hostages coming retired and the assistance that's desperately needed goes into Gaza astatine velocity and astatine the volumes that are needed," the PM said.

He said helium was struck by caller images of the merchandise of Emily Damari, a British-Israeli pistillate who was held hostage by Hamas for 15 months, and thousands of Palestinians walking location done the Gaza rubble.

"They indispensable beryllium allowed home, they indispensable beryllium allowed to rebuild," helium told MPs.

"And we should beryllium with them successful that rebuild connected the mode to that two-state solution."

The PM's comments echo those of Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who earlier said it was "clear that Gaza is lying successful rubble".

Lammy was asked astir Trump's remarks during a sojourn to Kyiv successful Ukraine connected Wednesday, and said: "We've ever been wide successful our content that we indispensable spot 2 states.

"We indispensable spot Palestinians capable to unrecorded and prosper successful their homelands successful Gaza, successful the West Bank. That is what we privation to get to."

The UK authorities is walking a diplomatic tightrope with Trump, arsenic it balances its effect to his announcements.

The PM and the US president person spoken since Trump's inauguration and a travel to Washington is expected wrong weeks, Lammy precocious suggested.

Much of Gaza's infrastructure has been destroyed implicit much than a twelvemonth of warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas.

In January, Israel and Hamas agreed a woody to halt the warfare and merchandise Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

President Trump spoke astir his plans for the aboriginal of Gaza astatine a White House quality league with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu connected Tuesday.

He said: "The US volition instrumentality implicit the Gaza Strip, and we volition bash a occupation with it too. We'll ain it."

He said Palestinians could beryllium resettled distant from Gaza, "in areas wherever the leaders presently accidental no".

Jordan and Egypt person rejected the thought of resettlement, portion the Palestinian ambassador to the UN said "our homeland is our homeland".