No ceasefire can be reached in Gaza that does not include the return of hostages by Hamas, Sir Keir Starmer told the Labour Friends of Israel annual lunch.

Sir Keir said his Government is continuing to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, adding: “There is no ceasefire worthy of the name, which does not, as item number one, include the return of all the hostages.”

Hamas is still holding around 100 Israeli hostages inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead, following its attack on southern Israel in October 2023.

The Prime Minister said at the Monday speech: “This government continues its call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, to facilitate the unconditional release of all remaining hostages and a surge of desperately needed humanitarian aid.”

He said his Government was “pro-Israel, pro-Palestine and pro-peace”.

“Our allies will be all those – Israeli or Palestinian – who seek to further the cause of reconciliation, peace and progress.

“So we must fight all the more strongly for a renewed political progress that recognises that there is no secure Israel without a viable Palestinian state.

“And no security for Palestinians without a safe and secure Israel.”

Sir Keir also said he respects the independence of the International Criminal Court, which recently issued an arrest warrant for Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We respect the independence of the ICC. We are signatories to the Rome Statute. But I will never accept any equivalence between Israel, a democracy, and Hamas, a terrorist organisation.”