Douglas Alexander, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary, responding to the agreement of a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, said:

“After months of fighting and thousands of casualties, this permanent ceasefire deal brokered by Egypt’s government is a welcome and much needed step forward and all sides must now fully respect and uphold its terms.

"The first priority for the international community is to help ensure that basic supplies such as food, water, and medical provisions are made available to meet the desperate needs of the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have been forced from their homes by the recent violence.

"Alongside that immediate humanitarian response, the focus must be on turning this welcome ceasefire into a permanent peace by agreeing a process that addresses the underlying causes of the conflict.

"Only a wider political agreement to end the violence will provide the longer term security that civilians on all sides crave. An end to terror, blockade and occupation is the only path towards a negotiated two state solution that can bring lasting security and justice to the Israeli and Palestinian people.”

Ends