UK highlights Gaza ceasefire talks as key to global stability

Talks in Qatar on a Gaza ceasefire and a hostage deal represent a "crucial moment for global stability" that could "define the future of the Middle East", UK foreign minister David Lammy said Thursday.

"We are at a crucial moment for global stability. The coming hours and days could define the future of the Middle East. That is why today, and every day, we are urging for our partners across the region to choose peace," he said in a statement.

The comments from Lammy, who took up the post of Britain's top diplomat early last month, came as Washington confirmed that discussions in Doha involving top US officials over a pause in the conflict had made a "promising start".

Meanwhile Israel's foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Israel Katz will meet Friday with Lammy and his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne during a visit to the country by the pair.

The trio are set to discuss efforts to prevent regional escalation and to promote an agreement for the release of hostages captured by Hamas during its October 7 attack on Israel, according to the ministry.

Katz is expected to demand further Western sanctions against Iran over its nuclear, missiles and drones programmes, and for London and Paris to proscribe Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group.