Starmer to discuss Gaza with Trump at Scotland talks

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to discuss efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza when he meets US President Donald Trump in Scotland later.
The prime minister is travelling to Ayrshire for the talks, during which he is likely to discuss what can be done to urgently get a ceasefire in place, as international concerns grow about starvation in Gaza.
Previous talks over a ceasefire and hostage release scheme in Qatar came to a halt this week after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss trade in the wide-ranging talks at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort.
Israel is facing mounting pressure from many of its allies, with aid agencies warning of mass starvation having previously criticised plans to drop supplies into Gaza by air.
The World Health Organization has warned malnutrition has reached “alarming levels” in Gaza, as airdrops resumed.
Israel said on Sunday morning that it had dropped seven packages containing sugar, flour and canned food into Gaza, with the UAE, Jordan and Egypt in the process of delivering aid by land and air – but agencies say this is a fraction of what is needed to address malnutrition.
BBC News understands no RAF aircraft have been involved in the airdrops so far, nor were any UK-provided supplies delivered.
Israel is due to begin another 10-hour pause in military activity in parts of Gaza on Monday morning to allow aid deliveries.
Sir Keir will also convene a rare summer cabinet meeting this week, while Parliament is in recess, because of the situation on Gaza.
He has decided to recall cabinet ministers to Westminster, after the House of Commons broke for its annual break last week, to discuss how to help alleviate the humanitarian situation in Gaza and push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
It comes after he confirmed his government was working with Jordan to drop aid into the territory and was “urgently accelerating efforts” to evacuate children who needed critical medical assistance to the UK.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that while airdrops would help “alleviate the worst of the suffering”, Israel must allow “unhindered” access for aid lorries as they are the “only viable and sustainable” way to get sufficient supplies to people.
At least 127 people in Gaza have died from malnutrition since the war began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza at the start of March in an 11-week blockade, which it said would put pressure on Hamas to release hostages.
It resumed distributing aid on 27 May via the new and controversial US-Israeli backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The GHF system has been widely criticised for forcing vast numbers of people to walk through active combat zones to a handful of sites to collect supplies. Israel has said the new aid system was needed to prevent Hamas from looting food, which the group disputes that it does.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed trying to retrieve food aid from GHF sites since it began, according to the UN. Israel claims the new distribution system stops aid from reaching Hamas and denies restrictions are in place.
The US president, on a five-day visit to Scotland, said last week Hamas “didn’t really want to make a deal” on a new Gaza ceasefire.
In his statement announcing the withdrawal of the US team from Doha, US envoy Steve Witkoff said: “Hamas does not appear to be co-ordinated or acting in good faith.
“We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza.”
Sir Keir has come under pressure from home and abroad to recognise a Palestinian state, after French President Emmanuel Macron committed to doing so within months and more than a third of MPs signed a letter calling on the British government to do the same.
The SNP has also said it plans to introduce a bill in September to force a vote on statehood.
On Sunday, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the Tories had “always supported” a two-state solution – a political settlement based on two separate states that protect the rights of Palestinians and the security of Israelis.
But she said now was not the right time to recognise a Palestinian state as it would “reward” Hamas after “carrying out one of the worst atrocities in recent memory”.
The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
At least 59,676 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Trump held talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen over the weekend, with the US and EU reaching a trade deal framework after a months-long standoff. He is also set to meet Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney later.
Published at Mon, 28 Jul 2025 06:26:41 +0000