UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has convened an emergency cabinet meeting to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The move comes amid urgent calls for the UK to officially recognize Palestinian statehood, as the death toll surpasses 60,000, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
International concern is mounting as a UN-backed food security organization issued a dire warning: the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out” in Gaza. Aid groups report widespread starvation, with residents going days without food and some accusing local armed gangs of looting aid trucks and selling the contents on the black market.
Despite Israel’s claim that there are “no restrictions” on aid deliveries, humanitarian organizations insist the measures taken so far are woefully insufficient. Gaza residents have told reporters they have not eaten in two days, highlighting the desperate need for effective aid distribution.
A BBC investigation also revealed that some humanitarian airdrops are falling into dangerous combat zones, increasing the risk to civilians trying to retrieve aid. Video evidence shows packages landing in Israeli-declared military areas where no ceasefire is in place, raising safety concerns.
The Israeli military has not permitted international media, including the BBC, to freely report from within Gaza, limiting independent verification on the ground.
Meanwhile, Labour MP Sarah Champion, who led a letter signed by over half of Labour’s backbenchers, urged Starmer to take a decisive stand: “This is a now-or-never moment. Recognizing the Palestinian state is essential to preserving any chance of a two-state solution,” she said, citing ongoing Israeli moves to annex land and further divide the West Bank.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported 112 deaths in the past 24 hours alone. Many were reportedly killed in airstrikes while attempting to access aid. In central Nuseirat, 30 people—14 women and 12 children—died in overnight attacks. Other casualties were recorded in Khan Younis, al-Mawasi, and Gaza City.
The UK government has previously stated that recognition of a Palestinian state should occur as part of a broader peace process. However, internal pressure from cabinet members and opposition MPs is growing for a shift toward immediate recognition.
With cabinet members largely joining the emergency meeting remotely, political observers await whether a policy change will follow as global attention remains firmly fixed on the worsening conditions in Gaza.
