Sir Keir Starmer has urged Israel not to go ahead with an offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

In a post on social media, the Labour leader wrote: “With more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering in Rafah, an Israeli offensive must not go ahead.

“There must be an immediate ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages, and unimpeded aid into Gaza that can be delivered regularly, quickly and safely.”

David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, and Lisa Nandy, the shadow minister for international development, earlier called for Israel to refrain from an assault on the city.

The Israeli military said on Monday that it is evacuating about 100,000 people from eastern Rafah, ahead of an expected ground assault.

Despite growing international opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has vowed to attack Hamas in Rafah in order to achieve “total victory”. 

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