'Too many innocent people are dying in the Middle East - we need a ceasefire as it will save lives'

A year to the day since Hamas’s attack on Israel, the conflict it sparked continues to intensify.

With Israel escalating the bombing of and , and issuing threats to Iran, hopes of peace are fading fast. Mass slaughter is claiming the lives of innocent civilians as combatants hell-bent on destroying each other refuse to compromise. Enmities are entrenched ever deeper. Yet, when the only alternative is more bloodshed, that agonisingly slim prospect of peace must never be abandoned.

This is a moment when we need the world’s most skilful diplomats to cajole, pressure and threaten those who believe terrible violence is the answer to pause and consider the consequences. Nobody is arguing that ceasefires and agreements will be easy to achieve. But they are the only way to save lives and free the hostages still held in Gaza.

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