Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog at Downing Street on Wednesday, No 10 said, in what the government described as talks intended to press Israel on the "intolerable situation in Gaza" and the actions it must take to end the suffering there.
Downing Street said Starmer would raise concerns about civilian casualties and humanitarian access during the meeting, which comes as Israel warned residents of Gaza City to leave immediately ahead of a possible ground offensive and after an Israeli strike targeted senior Hamas figures in Doha. The visit will last three days, with Herzog's office saying he intended to show solidarity with the Jewish community amid a wave of antisemitism.
The talks are taking place against intense domestic and international scrutiny of Israel's campaign in Gaza, which was launched after Hamas's 7 October attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says at least 64,605 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since then.
Sixty MPs and peers from across parties, including Labour, the Green Party and the SNP, have urged the UK government to deny Herzog entry, saying a visit could risk the UK being complicit in genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention. Israel rejects allegations of genocide; the claims are also under examination at the International Court of Justice.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said Herzog should answer allegations levelled at the Israeli government over its conduct in Gaza. "I think he needs to answer the allegations of war crimes, of ethnic cleansing and of genocide that are being levelled at the government of Israel," Streeting told Times Radio. He questioned how Israeli officials could describe the Israel Defence Forces as "the most moral army in the world" in the face of evidence of atrocities.
Downing Street emphasised Starmer's "revulsion" at the suffering in Gaza but did not adopt Streeting's call for Herzog to answer directly for alleged war crimes and ethnic cleansing at the Downing Street meeting. The prime minister hosted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at Downing Street on Monday, where Starmer said he would recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly if Israel did not change course.
Both leaders agreed there would be "absolutely no role" for Hamas in future Palestinian governance, a Downing Street spokesman said. They discussed an urgent solution to end the humanitarian crisis, including an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages and a significant surge in humanitarian aid.
Former foreign secretary David Lammy, in a letter published last week, said the UK had not concluded that Israel is committing genocide as defined by the Genocide Convention, which requires specific intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a protected group. Downing Street said Lammy's letter reflected the government's position that determination of genocide is a matter for international courts.
Foreign Office sources said the government had carried out the assessment required by its obligations under the Genocide Convention — to consider whether there is a "serious risk of genocide" when making decisions such as arms export licensing — and that the one-off judgment at the time did not conclude that Israel was acting with genocidal intent. That assessment was raised by Sarah Champion, chair of the Commons International Development Committee, in correspondence that questioned whether exempting components for F-35 fighter jets from a suspension on arms exports breached the UK's duty to prevent genocide.
Human rights groups and some MPs have urged tougher action. Amnesty International said Starmer "must not provide diplomatic cover for a state committing genocide" and warned that polite handshakes and warm words would not meet the test of leadership and principle. The call reflects broader concerns in the UK political and civil society sectors about the humanitarian and legal implications of Israel's military campaign.
Herzog's visit follows a period of sharply escalated military action. Israeli officials have said their objective is to destroy Hamas and recover the hostages taken on 7 October. Israeli strikes have also targeted Hamas leaders outside Gaza, including the reported strike in Qatar's capital Doha. The Israeli government has repeatedly denied allegations of crimes under international law.
As leaders prepare for the UN General Assembly later this month, the diplomatic tensions between Britain, Israel and Palestinian representatives underscore the complex legal, humanitarian and political questions raised by the conflict. The meeting in Downing Street is likely to draw further scrutiny from parliamentarians, human rights organisations and international legal bodies as they assess evidence and press for accountability while humanitarian needs in Gaza remain acute.
The UK government has said it will continue to call for the protection of civilians, unimpeded humanitarian access and the urgent release of hostages, while maintaining that determinations about international crimes must be made by courts. The Downing Street meeting will be watched closely for any shifts in tone or policy from a government navigating competing domestic and international pressures on a rapidly evolving crisis.