The United Kingdom, France, and Canada have issued a joint warning to Israel, threatening to take “concrete actions” if the country continues its intensified military operations in Gaza.
In a coordinated statement on Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called on Israel to “stop its military operations” and “immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza”.
The leaders described the humanitarian situation as “intolerable,” pointing to a complete blockade that has prevented food, fuel, and medicine from entering the region since early March.
In a development that follows, speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the United Kingdom was imposing additional sanctions on illegal Israeli settler outposts in the occupied West Bank.
While the Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, has also been summoned to the Foreign Office.
This comes as the European Union voted to review its trade cooperation deal with Israel, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the criticism, accusing the Western leaders of rewarding Hamas by pushing for an end to the war before the militant group is defeated.
He argued that calls for a Palestinian state and ceasefire would embolden further attacks on Israel.
Over the weekend, Netanyahu said Israel would allow “basic amount of food” into Gaza following an 11-week blockade but reaffirmed intentions to maintain control over the entire territory.
The joint response from the UK, France, and Canada called this move “wholly inadequate” and warned it could violate international humanitarian law.
The statement also condemned rhetoric from some members of the Israeli government that implied forced displacement of civilians, reiterating that such actions would breach legal norms.
The United Nations has echoed these concerns. Tom Fletcher, UN humanitarian relief chief, described the current level of aid access as “a drop in the ocean” compared to the scale of need.
While reaffirming Israel’s right to defend itself, the three nations stressed that the military escalation has become disproportionate.
They also urged Hamas to release the hostages taken during the 7 October 2023 attacks, in which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. According to Israeli estimates, 58 hostages remain in Gaza, with up to 23 believed to be alive.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports over 53,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began.
The joint statement reiterated calls for a ceasefire and support for a two-state solution, proposing the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Netanyahu rejected this proposal, invoking United States President Donald Trump’s vision for resolving the conflict and calling on European leaders to follow that approach.
He accused the leaders of Britain, France and Canada of offering Hamas a “huge prize” after they called for an end to intensified military operations in Gaza.
Israeli prime minister said his country would press on for total victory over Hamas
Netanyahu; “By asking Israel to end a defensive war for our survival before Hamas terrorists on our border are destroyed and by demanding a Palestinian state, the leaders in London, Ottawa and Paris are offering a huge prize for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7 while inviting more such atrocities.”
He added: “The war can end tomorrow if the remaining hostages are released, Hamas lays down its arms, its murderous leaders are exiled and Gaza is demilitarised.
“No nation can be expected to accept anything less and Israel certainly won’t.
“This is a war of civilisation over barbarism. Israel will continue to defend itself by just means until total victory is achieved.”
