Tories And Labour Align To Urge for ‘Humanitarian Pause’ In Gaza Conflict

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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer echoed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak call Wednesday for “humanitarian pauses” in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas to facilitate the delivery of aid to the civilians of Gaza.

Sunak was careful to distinguish that a “specific pause” in conflict was different from “ceasefire.”

Addressing the House of Commons on Wednesday, Sunak expressed the government’s desire for the release of hostages held by Hamas and that he wanted humanitarian aid to get to Gaza. He said: “We recognise for all of that to happen there has to be a safer environment which of course necessitates specific pauses, as distinct from a ceasefire.”

Later on Wednesday afternoon, Starmer released his own statement, backing the call for pauses in conflict.

The stance puts both Starmer and Sunak in line with a suggestion made by the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a move that they hope will relieve the mounting public pressure to back a ceasefire.

In a statement at the U.N. Security Council, Blinken urged Israel to “take all possible precautions to avoid harm to civilians.” He also emphasised the need for “essential humanitarian assistance to flow into Gaza and to the people who need them” and that “humanitarian pauses must be considered.”