Israeli military launches ground assault on central Gaza city of Deir al Balah

The UK and more than 20 other countries have called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and said the Israeli government’s aid delivery model is “dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity”.

In a joint statement the countries said the “suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths”.

They have called for a “negotiated ceasefire”, saying that it offers the best hope of bringing the hostages held captive by Hamas home.

“The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity,” the joint statement reads.

“We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food.”

The countries have called on the Israeli government to “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid” and to “urgently enable the UN and humanitarian NGOs to do their life saving work safely and effectively”.

“We are prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire and a political pathway to security and peace for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region,” the joint statement adds.

The statement has been signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.