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Watch live as foreign secretary David Lammy meets his Israeli counterpart Israel Katz in Jerusalem to press for a ceasefire in Gaza on Friday (16 August).
In the first joint UK-France visit to the region in more than a decade, Mr Lammy and French foreign minister Stephane Sejourne will also visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The pair, who will meet Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz and minister of strategic affairs Ron Dermer, said they will stress “there is no time for delays or excuses from all parties on a ceasefire deal”.
The foreign secretary said the trip is a vital opportunity to “end the current destructive cycle of retaliatory violence”, calling for all parties to engage seriously in the negotiations.
Mediating parties have been attempting to secure an agreement for a three-phase plan in which Hamas would release a number of hostages captured in the 7 October attack in exchange for a lasting ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
