This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-68744024#0

The article has changed 23 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
Israelis demand hostage deal six months on from Hamas attacks - BBC News Israelis demand hostage deal six months on from Hamas attacks - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Over on the Laura Kuenssberg programme this morning, UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden says the government is "engaging with Israel on a number of issues - making sure they are not targeting aid workers", referencing the Israeli air strike that killed seven aid staff earlier this week, including three Britons. One who is critical of Israel's approach to the war is Prof Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the London-based Chatham House think tank.
Speaking about the state of the war six months on, Dowden says Israel was "subject to the most appalling attack" but adds that more aid must get into Gaza. Speaking to Radio 5Live this morning, he says that after six months of war, things have gone "catastrophically wrong".
Asked if Israel is acting within the law, Dowden says Israel is "conducting a legitimate campaign" but later adds, "we have concerns which we have raised with Israel". "The hostages are still in captivity. They’re in social hell. More than 33,000 Gazan people have been killed, many of them civilians," he tells BBC Radio 5Live.
Dowden says it is “all too easy” for the world to forget the horrors Israel has faced. "Obviously, Israel suffered a terrible atrocity in the hands of Hamas but it went to war instead of [having] a strategy and political objective which is achievable.
"More revenge and vengeance is not a way to conduct a war, hence where we are now.”
He says what will determine a ceasefire is the international pressure put on both sides to reach an agreement.
"In the case of Hamas, they would like to see a permanent truce because, when the hostages are released, Israel will be after them and also leaves itself the room to continue the war. From Netanyahu’s point of view, the call for a new election and if you look at the opinion polls, he’s most likely to lose this election."
FacebookFacebook
TwitterTwitter
ShareView more share optionsShare this postCopy this linkRead more about these links.ShareView more share optionsShare this postCopy this linkRead more about these links.
Copy this linkCopy this link