UK’s Starmer sees Hamas chief’s death as key moment for ceasefire opportunity

The killing by Israel of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar could help bring an end to fighting in the Gaza Strip, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said during a visit to Berlin on Friday.

Sinwar, who mastermind the Palestinian militant group's attack on Israel on October 7 last year, was killed by the Israeli military in southern Gaza's Rafah on Wednesday.

"I do think the death of Sinwar provides an opportunity for a step towards that ceasefire that we've long called for," Starmer said after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, US President Joe Biden and France's President Emmanuel Macron.

The comments echo those of Biden, who said Sinwar's death was "an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza without Hamas".

Starmer added that "allies will keep working together to de-escalate across the region because we know there's no military-only solution here -- the answer is diplomacy".

He also said that the "dire humanitarian situation can't continue" in Gaza and called for Israel to facilitate the delivery of more aid to the Strip.

"The world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance. Civilians in northern Gaza need food now," said Starmer, a human rights lawyer before going into politics.

The comments came as Britain's Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) said a urgent appeal for funds for citizens in Gaza, Lebanon and the occupied West Bank had raised £8.8 million ($11.5 million) in the first day.

The DEC brings together 15 leading charities, including Oxfam and ActionAid, to launch national appeals at times of crisis overseas.

It said in a statement that Britain's head of state, King Charles III, and his wife Camilla "were among the first to donate" to the latest appeal.