.svg)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have vowed to keep marching through London after denouncing Sir Keir Starmer's Gaza ceasefire declaration as a "disgusting refusal to acknowledge Israeli war crimes."
Israel and Hamas declared yesterday that they had agreed to a truce that would put an end to the war, which has been going on for 15 months.
A Hamas official said the group's leader Khalil Al Hayya has delivered approval of the ceasefire agreement to mediators in Qatar.
The agreement will come into effect on Sunday as long as the Israeli cabinet approves it, though Benjamin Netanyahuâs office said that Hamas still need to back down on âlast-minute concessionsâ on some aspects of the deal before this can happen.
Starmer welcomed the ceasefire and hostage deal as âlong overdue newsâ in a statement posted online.
He paid tribute to British citizens who were âmurdered by Hamasâ and vowed that the UK and its allies would continue to try and âbreak the cycle of violence and secure long-term peaceâ for Israelis and Palestinians.
Starmer said: âAfter months of devastating bloodshed and countless lives lost, this is the long-overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for.
âThey have borne the brunt of this conflict, triggered by the brutal terrorists of Hamas, who committed the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust on October 7, 2023.
âThe hostages, who were brutally ripped from their homes on that day and held captive in unimaginable conditions ever since, can now finally return to their families.â
He continued: âFor the innocent Palestinians whose homes turned into a warzone overnight and the many who have lost their lives, this ceasefire must allow for a huge surge in humanitarian aid, which is so desperately needed to end the suffering in Gaza."
However, Pro-Palestintian activists have critiqued the wording used in the Prime Ministerâs statement, which they believe portrays Israelis in a more sympathetic light and as having suffered more.
One user wrote online: âImagine if Hamas released a statement saying 47,000 Palestinians were âmassacred by terrorists in Israelâ, and that 1,706 Israelis âlost their livesâ on October 7. Imagine the outrage.â
âKeir Starmerâs statement is a disgusting refusal to acknowledge Israeli war crimes.â
Other users echoed this statement, highlighting the various ways Starmer refers to the Israelisâ suffering, such as âbrutal terrorismâ and âdeadliest massacreâ, whilst Palestinians simply âlost their livesâ.
Another said: âHis language drips racism,â whilst a different user chimed in: âHe knows exactly what happened to many thousands of Palestinians - from rape and torture to mass executions and detention.â
They added: âNot a human rights lawyer I'd want on my side, I can tell you.â
Some, however, heaped praise on Starmer for his statement.
One user said: âThank you, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for your remarkable statement and the exceptional role you played in securing this vital ceasefire.
âYour efforts have upheld the legacy of Britain's great leaders, enhancing our nation's honour and international reputation. May God bless you and bless Britain.â
Another said: âBest Of The Best Prime Minister History Of UK.â
Despite the ceasefire agreement, Palestinian activists are still going ahead with a march planned in the capital on January 18.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign is currently looking for stewards to man the event.
Some questioned the decision to run a march in light of recent news. âStandown, ceasefire incoming,â one said, whilst another simply commented âwhy?â
As part of the deal, negotiations over the second phase of the agreement are set to begin by the 16th day of phase one and are expected to include the release of all remaining hostages, including Israeli male soldiers, a permanent ceasefire and complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza.
Hamas will release all remaining hostages over a six-week period with three hostages released every week and the remainder before the end of the period.
The third phase is expected to include the return of all remaining dead bodies and the start of Gaza reconstruction, supervised by Egypt, Qatar and the UN.
