Britain and 25 countries call on Israel to stop the war in the Gaza Strip and lift restrictions on the flow of aid immediately.

The United Kingdom and 25 international partners called on Israel, in a joint statement issued on Monday, to stop the war in the Gaza Strip now and lift restrictions on the flow of aid immediately.

The UK, along with the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, called on all parties to protect civilians and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.

They considered proposals to transfer Palestinian residents to a "humanitarian city" completely unacceptable, and that permanent forced displacement constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law.

They said: We, the undersigned, come together with a simple and urgent message: The war in Gaza must end now.

They added: The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached unprecedented levels. The Israeli government's model of providing aid is dangerous, fuels instability, and deprives the people of Gaza of their human dignity.

They condemned the drip-feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their basic needs of water and food. It is horrific that more than 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.

They stressed that the Israeli government's deprivation of civilians of basic humanitarian assistance is "unacceptable," and that it must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law.

They called on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid, and urgently enable the United Nations and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their life-saving work safely and effectively.

They also called on all parties to protect civilians and abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.

They expressed their strong opposition to any steps aimed at changing the geography or demographics of the occupied Palestinian territories, noting that the E1 settlement plan announced by the Israeli government, if implemented, would divide the Palestinian state into two parts, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and decisively undermines the two-state solution.

They added: "Meanwhile, settlement construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has accelerated, while settler violence against Palestinians has escalated. This must stop."

They added: We urge the parties and the international community to join forces in a joint effort to end this bitter conflict through an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire. There is no point in shedding more blood, and we affirm our full support for the efforts of the United States, Qatar, and Egypt to achieve this.

They expressed their readiness to take further measures to support an immediate ceasefire and a political path towards security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians, and the entire region.