Keir Starmer will condemn Israel’s launch of airstrikes on Qatar in talks with the country’s president amid fears violence could spread across the region.
The Prime Minister will urge an end to fighting and the “intolerable” humanitarian crisis in Gaza when he meets with Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, in Downing Street.
Starmer will tell Herzog that Israel’s bombing of Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, risks escalating violence, The i Paper understands.
He will put pressure on the President for his country to agree to a diplomatic route to peace negotiations.
Talks between Starmer and Herzog – part of a push to ramp up pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu – will go ahead despite the airstrikes.
They come after the Israeli government warned all residents of Gaza City to leave immediately in anticipation of a new wave of attacks.
It comes after Five members of Hamas were killed after Israel launched an unprecedented strike on the militant group in Qatar.
Qatar, a US-ally which has served as a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, condemned what it referred to as a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms” following the strike in Doha.
Hamas said that five members had been killed in the strike, including the son of chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya, but that Israel had “failed” to assassinate the group’s senior leaders.
Qatar said that one member of its internal security forces was killed and others had been injured in the strike.
The White House said that Israel had given the US advance notice of the strike and that Washington had informed Qatar, which hosts thousands of American troops.
And Starmer will demand “action” from the Israeli government “to end the horrific suffering we’re witnessing,” No10 said.
Qatar has been hosting peace talks
Qatar, which has been hosting peace negotiations between Israel and Hamas in efforts to end the conflict between the two, was struck by the Israeli military in its capital on Tuesday.
Israel said it had “conducted a precise strike” aimed at the Hamas leadership.
Qatar said the move was a violation of international law.
In a statement published following the bombing in Doha, Starmer said: “I condemn Israel’s strikes on Doha, which violate Qatar’s sovereignty and risk further escalation across the region. The priority must be an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a huge surge in aid into Gaza.”
According to reports, US President Donald Trump had been aware of the planned strikes.
But No 10 said the UK government had not had any prior knowledge of the attack, saying it was “an Israeli-led operation” and “an entirely independent operation”.
RAF insiders said the presence of a Voyager in the region was due to a pre-planned exercise with Qatar and not to support Israel’s Air Force.
Downing Street said the meeting with the Israeli President would go ahead, pointing to the need for engagement from all sides to achieve peace.
On Monday night, Starmer hosted Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas in Downing Street.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said Starmer is “engaging with all parties, including Israel, including the Palestinians, including with our allies, to pursue all diplomatic efforts to bring this devastating conflict to an end”.
He added: “Our overarching priority is to see an end to the horrific suffering in Gaza, starting with an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a surge in humanitarian aid, leading to … peace for Israelis and Palestinians, peace in the wider region.”
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Read MoreNo 10 underlined “revulsion” at the suffering in Gaza, but did not repeat Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s calls for Herzog to answer for alleged war crimes committed by his country.
The Cabinet minister said earlier on Tuesday that Herzog needs to explain how he believes the Israeli government can achieve its aim in Gaza “without genocide”.
The UK Government has stopped short of accusing Israel of genocide, saying it has not concluded that Netanyahu’s government is acting with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”, the legal definition for the crime.
A letter from then-foreign secretary David Lammy, published by the Commons International Development Committee, stated: “As per the Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide occurs only where there is specific ‘intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group’. The Government has not concluded that Israel is acting with that intent.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman the Government was clear that it was for “international courts to make these determinations”.
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