British PM calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire

Guardian reported:

British Prime Minister, David Cameron has called for an "unconditional, immediate, humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza to bring a halt to more than three weeks of war on Gaza.

Speaking during a visit to Slough, Berkshire, Cameron said: "What it's time for is unconditional, immediate, humanitarian ceasefire. What we're seeing is absolutely heartbreaking in terms of the loss of life, and the pictures that everyone has seen on their television screen are really heart-rending and everyone wants to see this stopped, so an immediate unconditional ceasefire, that is what is required."

The prime minister said however that he blamed Hamas for the outbreak of the war, saying: "Hamas must stop attacking Israel with rocket attacks. That is how this started. It's completely unjustified and they need to stop as part of the ceasefire."

A former senior British diplomat however called for talks with Hamas to bring it into the Middle East political process. Sir John Holmes, who was UN emergency relief coordinator during the last Israeli invasion of Gaza, in 2009, said that five years on the current situation was "very much the same".

"Hamas is not going to go away and I think that we have accept that. Instead of just isolating Hamas, we need to talk to them."