Guardian:

UK will recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to Gaza ceasefire and other conditions

• Keir Starmer says the UK will recognise a Palestinian state at a UN meeting in September unless Israel meets certain conditions

• He says the recognition will happen unless the Israeli government takes "substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza", including a ceasefire and a commitment to a long-term peace process

• Most countries - about 139 in all - formally recognise a Palestinian state, and last week France pledged to do so at the same UN meeting

• Earlier, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said more than 60,000 Palestinians have now been killed since Israel's offensive began

• A UN-backed food security body also said "the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" in Gaza; Israel insists there are no restrictions on aid deliveries and that there is "no starvation"

• Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza to report freely

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Media caption,

PM: UK will recognise Palestinian state unless Israel meets conditions

Live Reporting

Edited by Jamie Whitehead and Sam Hancock, with political correspondent Harry Farley reporting from Downing Street

1. Closer look: What does recognising a Palestinian state mean, and have other countries done it?published at 02:53

   02:53

   Image source,Reuters

   Around 140 countries formally recognise a Palestinian state, although many European nations and the United States say they will only do so as part of moves towards a long-term resolution to the conflict.

   Spain, Ireland and Norway formally took the step last year, hoping to exert diplomatic pressure to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.

   France is not recognising a Palestinian state yet - it will do so, President Emmanuel Macron says, at the United Nations General Assembly in September. This is what Prime Minister Keir Starmer has now said the UK will do, too, unless Israel meets a raft of conditions.

   At the United Nations (UN), representatives of Palestine currently have limited rights to participate in UN activity, and the territory is also recognised by various international organisations, including the Arab League.

   Sceptics argue recognition would largely be a symbolic gesture unless questions over the leadership and extent of a Palestinian state are addressed first.

   Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday, former UK Foreign Office boss Lord McDonald argued recognition itself "doesn't really amount to very much" - adding that it would "incense the Israelis, it would incense the Americans, and people would ask well where's the beef, what's the follow-up, and the follow up is very difficult to deliver".

2. UK proposes to recognise Palestinian statehood - five key things Starmer saidpublished at 02:29

   02:29

   • The UK will recognise Palestinian statehood in September, the government has said, unless "substantive" steps are taken by Israel to end the "appalling" situation in Gaza - among other conditions
   • At a news conference, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the goal remains a "safe and secure" Israel alongside a "viable and sovereign" Palestinian state
   • Asked about the timing, Starmer said today's announcement was driven both by the "intolerable" situation in Gaza and a concern that the possibility of a two-state solution is "reducing"
   • He said this had been a "long-standing" Labour policy and formed part of a peace plan that the government has been working on for some time
   • Asked why there are conditions attached to the move, Starmer said the UK's primary aim is to change the current situation on the ground both through the release of hostages and the delivery of aid. "This is intended to further that cause," he explained

3. Starmer asked to explain why recognition of Palestinian statehood is conditionalpublished at 02:12

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   The final question Starmer's asked is why the recognition of Palestinian statehood is conditional and how confident the PM is that a ceasefire can be reached by September.

   Starmer says the UK government's primary aim is to change the situation on the ground - and reiterates that hostages must be released and aid must be able to enter.

   "This is intended to further that cause," Starmer continues. "It's done now because I'm particularly concerned that the idea of a two-state solution is reducing and feels further away today than it has for many years".

   Having finished that response, Starmer thanks the media for attending and leaves the room. We'll soon bring you a round-up of the key points he made, as well as some analysis. Stay with us.