Israel's ambassador to the UK has told Sky News her country would not accept a two-state solution when the war in Gaza ends. When pressed on the question of Palestinians having their own state, Tzipi Hotovely told Mark Austin: "Absolutely no."

 

Asked how there can be peace without a Palestinian state, she added: "Israel knows today, and the world should know now that the Palestinians never wanted to have a state next to Israel.  "They want to have a state from the river to the sea. They are saying it loud and clear. It's now two months after the war started. The Palestinian Authority didn't condemn this massacre (7 October). It's such a big problem."

 

Earlier in the interview, Ms Hotovely was asked about UN demands for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. She replied: "Ceasefire - no. It just basically means we would like to welcome another attack of 7 October. This is the only thing it means." And when asked about US President Joe Biden's suggestion that Israel was bombing Gaza "without care", she said: "Absolutely not… Do you remember any country in the world creating a humanitarian corridor to the enemy? I don't remember you helping Nazi Germany during the war, and I don't remember America helping the Japanese during the Second World War."

 

The UK supports a two-state solution in the Middle East. Speaking on Thursday morning, UK education minister Damian Hinds told Sky News: "It's a long-standing position that we must move towards a two-state solution. I think the entire international community wants to see it, wants to see progress on that."

 

Asked what will happen if Israel doesn't agree to a two-state solution, Mr Hinds said that at the moment it was "really important that Israel is able to defend itself" and "remove the capability of Hamas to attack it. We need the hostages to be free, but we also, of course, everybody wants to be working towards a lasting, permanent stability," he added.

 

When Kay Burley asked how to convince Israel to agree to a two-state solution, the education minister said: "Well, of course, people are in talks the whole time, diplomatic talks the whole time. Britain and others are close partners with Israel. "This has been a longstanding position."

 

Meanwhile, Palestinian militants carried out one of the deadliest single attacks on Israeli soldiers since the Gaza invasion began. According to the Israeli Defence Forces, nine of its soldiers were killed in an urban ambush. The attack in a dense neighbourhood comes after repeated claims by the Israeli military that it had broken Hamas's command structure in northern Gaza, encircled remaining pockets of fighters, killed thousands of militants and detained hundreds more.

 

Israel invaded Gaza after around 1,200 of its citizens were killed by Hamas in attacks launched from Gaza on 7 October. Hamas also took around 240 hostages. More than 100 have since been released. Israel's air and ground assault has killed more than 18,600 Palestinians since 7 October, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Nearly 1.9 million people have been driven from their homes in the Gaza Strip.

 

The resulting humanitarian crisis has sparked international outrage. After originally urging Palestinians to move out of northern Gaza, Israel's military is now operating in the south of the strip, too. Displaced people are taking shelter in tented camps. The United States has repeatedly called on Israel to take greater measures to spare civilians, even as it has blocked international calls for a ceasefire at the United Nations and rushed military aid to its close ally. - Courtesy TheSky