Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire from the US’s ambassador to Israel after criticising plans that will leave one million Gazans displaced.
After the Prime Minister warned Israel’s latest escalation would ‘only bring more bloodshed’, Mike Huckabee likened the country’s situation to Britain in World War Two.
The extraordinary attack coincided with US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to Britain and highlighted the rift between America and the UK on the Middle East crisis.
It also came after Sir Keir announced last month how the UK will recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel takes steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis and end the conflict in Gaza.
Ambassador Huckabee said on X: ‘So Israel is expected to surrender to Hamas and feed them even though Israeli hostages are being starved?
‘Did the UK surrender to Nazis and drop food to them? Ever heard of Dresden, PM Starmer? That wasn’t food you dropped. If you had been PM then UK would be speaking German!’
Huckabee’s remarks appeared to challenge Israel’s obligation to provide food and humanitarian relief to Palestinians who are suffering from malnutrition.
According to the World Health Organisation around 12,000 children in Gaza under the age of five were acutely malnourished at the end of July, the highest number on record.
The number of Palestinians believed to have starved to death since the beginning of Israel’s siege has also risen to 197 people, including 96 children.
Even US President Donald Trump, a strong supporter of Israel, has been moved to comment disapprovingly on pictures of starving children that have recently been published.
Ambassador Huckabee, who was appointed by President Trump, reacted to a post on X by Sir Keir describing the Israeli government’s proposals as ‘wrong’.
The Prime Minister wrote: ‘We urge it [Israel] to reconsider immediately. Every day the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and hostages taken by Hamas are being held in appalling and inhumane conditions. We need a ceasefire now.’
Sir Keir’s remark about the escalation likely leading to ‘more bloodshed’ was included in an official statement released by Downing Street earlier today.
Ambassador Huckabee referenced Britain’s bombing of the German city of Dresden in February 1945 which caused as many as 25,000 civilian deaths.
This was a joint operation by the RAF’s Bomber Command and the US’s Army Air Forces. More than 3,900 tons of high explosive ordnance were dropped causing sickening devastation to civilian areas.
The details of Israel’s latest offensive emerged today, including giving more than one million people in Gaza city and the surrounding area until October 7th to leave or face military action.
The deadline for their forcible relocation will mark the second anniversary of the Hamas terrorist atrocities of October 7th 2023.
The UK was joined by international partners in condemning the plans, including Germany, one of Israel’s biggest benefactors in recent years, which suspended arms sales.
Senior Israeli military figures have also criticised the plan, proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to occupy the remaining quarter of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli generals have described the move as a ‘trap’, while families of the 20 hostages remaining in Hamas custody have highlighted the increased threat to their safety. Some relatives of hostages support the plan.
Aid agencies, Arab countries, the United Nations and Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political opponents inside Israel have also raised concerns.
Among regional and Western powers, only the United States has desisted from criticising the plan.
Earlier this week, President Trump said it was ‘pretty much up to Israel’ whether to fully occupy Gaza.
In a bid to stave off further international outcry, Prime Minister Netanyahu posted: ‘We are not going to occupy Gaza. We are going to free Gaza from Hamas.
‘Gaza will be demilitarised and a peaceful civilian administration will be established, one that is not the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas, and not any other terrorist organisation.
‘This will help free our hostages and ensure Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future.’
The UK provides financial and technical support to the Palestinian Authority, including £129 million in development assistance in this financial year.
It comes as António Guterres, the UN secretary general, described the Israeli plans as a ‘dangerous escalation’ as several countries reportedly requested a Security Council meeting to discuss the situation.
JD Vance, the US vice-president, said Washington has ‘some disagreement’ with Mr Netanyahu over the strategy, but that the administration shared Israel’s objectives.
Meanwhile, Germany has said it will stop arms sales to Israel until further notice.
IDF military chief Eyal Zamir had voiced opposition to reoccupying Gaza. A source in the Prime Minister’s Office told The Jerusalem Post that Zamir was passed a message that read: ‘If this does not suit you, then you should resign.’
Israeli officials described a meeting this week with the head of the military as tense, saying Zamir had pushed back on expanding Israel’s campaign.
Two government sources said any resolution by the security cabinet would need to be approved by the full cabinet, which may not meet until Sunday.
Among the scenarios considered ahead of the security meeting was a phased takeover of areas in Gaza not yet under military control, one of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Evacuation warnings could be issued to Palestinians in specific areas of Gaza, potentially giving them several weeks before the military moves in, the source added.
Total control of the territory would reverse a 2005 decision by Israel by which it withdrew Israeli citizens and soldiers from Gaza, while retaining control over its borders, airspace, and utilities.
Right-wing parties blame that withdrawal decision for the militant Palestinian group Hamas gaining power there in a 2006 election.
It was unclear whether Netanyahu was foreseeing a prolonged takeover or a short-term operation.
Hamas said in a statement that Netanyahu’s comments were ‘a blatant coup’ against the negotiation process.
‘Netanyahu’s plans to expand the aggression confirm beyond any doubt that he seeks to get rid of his captives and sacrifice them,’ the statement said.
Arab countries would ‘only support what Palestinians agree and decide on,’ a Jordanian official source told Reuters, adding that security in Gaza should be handled through ‘legitimate Palestinian institutions.’
Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Jazeera the group would treat any force formed to govern Gaza as an ‘occupying’ force linked to Israel.
The White House had no immediate comment. President Donald Trump has declined to say whether he supported or opposed a potential complete military takeover of Gaza by Israel.
The U.N. has called reports about a possible expansion of Israel’s military operations in Gaza ‘deeply alarming’ if true.
The idea, pushed by far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s coalition, of Israeli forces moving into areas they do not already hold in the enclave has also generated alarm in Israel.
Outside the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem on Thursday evening, hundreds of demonstrators protested against an expanded war, demanding an immediate end to the military campaign in return for the release of all the hostages.
There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of whom Israeli officials believe 20 are alive. Most of those freed so far emerged as a result of diplomatic negotiations.
Talks toward a ceasefire that could have seen more hostages released collapsed in July.
Recent images of starving children from Gaza have also shocked the world and fueled international criticism of Israel over the sharply worsening conditions in the enclave.
The Israeli military says it controls about 75% of Gaza. Most of Gaza’s population of about 2 million has been displaced multiple times over the past 22 months, and aid groups are warning that residents are on the verge of famine.
It´s unclear how many people reside in the city, which was Gaza´s largest before the war.
Hundreds of thousands fled Gaza City under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the war, but many returned during a ceasefire at the start of this year.
Expanding military operations in Gaza would put the lives of countless Palestinians and the roughly 20 remaining Israeli hostages at risk while further isolating Israel intentionally.