UNITED NATIONS (Chatnewstv.com) — British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Tuesday urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, warning that the collapse of the territory’s health system and the suffering of civilians had reached “incomprehensible” levels after two years of war.
Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting on the humanitarian crisis, Cooper described harrowing accounts from doctors who had recently returned from Gaza. “One told of the screams of a toddler who she had operated on without full anaesthetics, and how she hoped and prayed that he would not feel pain,” she said.
She noted that only 18 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain open, all facing severe shortages of fuel, medicine and staff. More than 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed and over 300 detained since the war began, she said. “This is what the catastrophic collapse of Gaza’s healthcare system looks like,” Cooper added.
Condemning Israel’s escalating strikes in Gaza City, she said: “It is incomprehensible. It is inhumane. It is utterly unjustifiable. And it must end.” Cooper argued that further military action would only deepen the humanitarian disaster, worsen famine conditions, and complicate efforts to release hostages still held by Hamas.
At the same time, she reiterated the U.K.’s condemnation of Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack and ongoing captivity of hostages. “Their ask of all of us is to keep the hostages at the forefront of our minds, to do everything we can, to give their loved ones the chance of coming home, and to achieve a ceasefire that gives them the chance to do that,” she said of meetings with hostage families.
Cooper welcomed mediation by the United States, Qatar and Egypt and linked the crisis to broader issues in the West Bank, criticizing Israel’s recent approval of settlement construction near East Jerusalem. “We urge Israel to reverse these plans,” she said.
The foreign secretary underscored that London’s recognition of a Palestinian state this week was aimed at protecting the viability of a two-state solution. “After two years of bloodshed, I believe the world is united in wanting this awful war to end,” she said. “United in wanting all the hostages released. United in wanting Israel to unblock aid and end the humanitarian catastrophe. And united in wanting a better and more peaceful future for the region.”
“The time for peace is now,” Cooper said.
