LONDON

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called on the Israeli government on Monday to end what she described as a “moral obscenity” — a campaign that, she warned, has denied Palestinian civilians access to food, water, and medicine, resulting in “an unconscionable loss of human life.”

In a forceful address at the Labour Conference, Cooper said: “No family should endure another loss. The moment cannot be lost. The time for peace is now.”

Her remarks came amid an intensifying humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where widespread destruction and blockades have left large segments of the population facing starvation, lack of medical care, and the constant specter of violence.

“Palestinian civilians should not have to go another day in fear and hunger. The hostages should not have to live another day in the darkness of captivity,” Cooper stressed.

She emphasized the urgency of shifting from rhetoric to action.

Recognition of a Palestinian state, she said, must serve as a spur, not a substitute for urgent diplomacy and peacebuilding.

Cooper pointed to recent symbolic moves by several Western governments — the UK, France, Canada, Australia, and Portugal have joined 150 states in formally recognizing Palestinian statehood — as being part of a “crucial international process.”

“Statehood is the inalienable right for Palestinians,” she said, adding that recognition is “the embodiment of our passionate belief that the only path … is two states living side by side.”

However, she was unequivocal in ruling out any role for the Palestinian group Hamas in future governance.

The Israeli army has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.