Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, speaking on Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, asserted that the United Kingdom had "played a key role behind the scenes in shaping this" ceasefire agreement. Her comments, delivered with measured diplomacy, highlighted Britain's quiet contributions to the multi-phase plan that paused hostilities on Friday, October 10, following Israeli Cabinet approval the previous night. "It’s right that we do so because it’s in all of our interests, including our own national interest, that we move to a lasting peace in the region," Phillipson emphasized, underscoring the UK's stake in Middle East stability amid rising domestic concerns over migration, energy security, and anti-Semitism fueled by the war.
The ceasefire, the third major pause since Hamas's October 7, 2023, attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered Israel's invasion, represents a hard-won breakthrough after multiple failed truces. The initial January 2025 deal, which freed 33 Israeli and five Thai hostages in exchange for around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, collapsed in March amid mutual accusations of violations—Israel halting aid flows and Hamas delaying releases. This latest accord, dubbed Trump's "20-point peace plan," builds on that framework but introduces stricter timelines and international oversight. Phase one, now underway, mandates a 72-hour window for Hamas to release all 20 living Israeli hostages—believed held in Gaza's labyrinthine tunnels—along with the remains of 28 deceased captives, in return for Israel's release of 250 long-term Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 wartime detainees. Israeli troops have partially withdrawn to a line bisecting the Strip, ceding control of about 47% of Gaza to facilitate returns and aid distribution.
As dawn broke over Gaza City on Sunday, scenes of cautious joy unfolded. Thousands of Palestinians, many clutching salvaged belongings in makeshift carts, streamed north along the coastal road near Wadi Gaza, defying the rubble-strewn paths and unexploded ordnance that litter the landscape. "I heard my home was destroyed, but I'm hoping to salvage something," said Rami Hamda, a 52-year-old father of four who fled south in March 2025 during Israel's renewed offensive. In Khan Younis, elderly residents like Fatima al-Masri, 68, paused amid the debris to pray, her voice trembling: "We've endured starvation and bombs; now, God willing, our children can eat." The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 600 aid trucks—carrying flour, cooking gas, fruit, meat, and medical supplies—had crossed into Gaza over the weekend, the first significant influx since the March blockade. This marks a tripling of pre-ceasefire levels, addressing a famine declared in northern Gaza in August that afflicted over 500,000 people with "catastrophic" hunger.
The humanitarian pivot is no small feat. Gaza's health system, once serving 2.3 million, now operates at 20% capacity, with Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis overwhelmed by untreated wounds and malnutrition cases. UK-funded initiatives, including £129 million in aid this fiscal year, have already improved water access for 284,000 residents, but experts warn that without sustained access, the gains could evaporate. "This is a vital step, but Gaza's needs have never been greater," said Eri Kaneko of OCHA, noting the World Food Programme's plans to restore full distributions. British surgeons, including Dr. Victoria Rose, were denied entry on Sunday despite the truce, highlighting persistent bottlenecks at Rafah.
Yet, Phillipson's praise for the deal quickly drew fire from across the Atlantic and beyond. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a Trump appointee and former Arkansas governor, dismissed her assertions as "delusional" in a pointed X post: "I assure you she’s delusional. She can thank @realDonaldTrump anytime just to set the record straight." Huckabee's rebuke echoed sentiments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who earlier lambasted European moves toward Palestinian state recognition—including the UK's September 2025 declaration—as "clumsy" and counterproductive. Rubio argued that such gestures emboldened Hamas by signaling a "reward" for the October 7 atrocities, potentially scuttling negotiations two months prior. "If Hamas refuses a ceasefire, it guarantees recognition—it's so clumsy," he told Fox News in July.
Israel's response was equally sharp. Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, speaking on Sky News, contradicted Phillipson outright: "I have to contradict her words... The UK actually played the opposite role, emboldening Hamas and refusing a ceasefire two months ago." Haskel linked the UK's Palestine recognition—joined by France, Canada, and Australia in a "historic diplomatic shift" at the UN General Assembly—to heightened tensions, accusing it of undermining stability. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has long viewed such recognitions as "prizes for terrorism," with no role for Hamas in future Gaza governance.
The UK's formal acknowledgment of Palestine on September 21, 2025, was framed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as a moral imperative to "keep alive the possibility of peace" amid Israel's West Bank settlement expansions and Gaza blockade. "The death and destruction horrifies us all. It must end," Starmer declared, joining over 150 nations in recognizing the state while insisting on Hamas's disarmament and exclusion from power. Downing Street officials argued the move countered domestic criticism from Labour MPs and pro-Palestinian activists, who decried Britain's initial arms sales to Israel and vetoes of UN resolutions. Yet, it strained transatlantic ties; the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on Palestinian Authority officials, viewing the wave of recognitions as "undermining prospects for peace."
Pressed on Rubio's critique during her Sky News appearance, Phillipson stood firm: "We believed as a government that it was the right thing to do. If that hadn’t happened, we would be in a position where that would no longer be a viable option of a Palestinian state." She acknowledged divisions—"not everyone agrees"—but defended recognition as essential to preserving a two-state solution, where Palestinians could "live in peace alongside a safe and secure Israel." This echoes a joint UK-France-Canada statement from May 2025, urging Israel to halt operations and allow aid while demanding Hamas release hostages unconditionally.
Opposition voices in Britain piled on the controversy. Conservative Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel accused Starmer of "undermining Israel, emboldening Hamas, and fuelling anti-Semitism," labeling the ceasefire credit-grab an "insult" to victims. Iain Duncan Smith called Labour's claims "delusional," while X users mocked Phillipson with sarcasm, one quipping she'd earned a Nobel nomination for "secret negotiations." Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, however, urged a "maximum role" for the UK in monitoring the truce, sans troops.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, speaking in Paris on October 10, reiterated "no plans" for British boots on the ground, aligning with Phillipson's assurances. Instead, a U.S.-overseen multinational force of 200 troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE will monitor compliance, focusing on violations without entering Gaza proper. The UK will pivot to private finance for reconstruction, building on its £129 million aid pledge.
As Starmer prepares to attend Monday's signing ceremony in Sharm El-Sheikh—hosted by Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi—eyes remain on phase two: full Israeli withdrawal, Hamas disarmament, and Gaza governance by a reformed Palestinian Authority. Hamas official Basem Naim praised Trump but nixed former PM Tony Blair's potential post-war role, citing "bad memories." Palestinian Authority deputy Hussein al-Sheikh, however, affirmed readiness to collaborate on reconstruction.
The truce's fragility is evident: Netanyahu warned Sunday that "the campaign is not over," vowing Hamas's dismantlement. Previous pauses lasted mere weeks; this one's success hinges on trust-building amid 158,000 Palestinian injuries and 40,000 West Bank displacements. For Britons, the row underscores a government navigating post-Brexit influence, domestic divisions—over 500 UK spy flights aided hostage rescues—and a path to enduring peace.
Phillipson closed her interview with hope: "We all hope that the ceasefire is holding... that through this process, we move to the next phase where Gaza can be rebuilt." As trucks rumble into Gaza and families await reunions, that hope feels both precious and precarious—a "massive step forward," as she called it, but merely "the start of a process." With global leaders converging in Egypt, the world watches whether this pause blossoms into permanence or fractures under old animosities.
