The British government says it is suspending free trade negotiations with Israel and has leveled new sanctions targeting West Bank settlements as it criticizes Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Tuesday’s actions came a day after the UK, France and Canada condemned Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza and its actions in the occupied West Bank.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK’s existing trade agreement is in effect but the government can’t continue discussions with an Israeli government pursuing what he called egregious policies in the West Bank and Gaza. Lammy said the persistent cycle of violence by extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank demanded action.

“We are unwavering in our commitment to your security and to your future, to countering the very real threat from Iran, the scourge of terrorism and the evils of anti-Semitism. But the conduct of the war in Gaza is damaging our relationship with your government,” Lammy said.

The announcement came after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ramped up his criticism of Israel on Tuesday, saying the level of suffering by children in Gaza was “utterly intolerable” and repeated his call for a ceasefire.

Mounting pressure as humanitarian crisis worsens

International pressure has been building on Israel following a nearly three-month blockade of supplies into Gaza that led to famine warnings.

The United States, a staunch ally of Israel, has also voiced concerns over the growing hunger crisis.

While Israel allowed trucks with baby food and desperately needed supplies to begin rolling into Gaza on Monday, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher described the volume of aid a “drop in the ocean of what is urgently needed.”

Israel initially received widespread international support to root out Hamas militants following the group’s surprise attack that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, on Oct. 7, 2023, and took 251 captives.

But patience with Israel is wearing thin after more than 53,000 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children. This number is the official count published by Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.

Israel’s latest onslaught has killed more than 300 people in recent days, local health officials said.

Sudan has accused the United Arab Emirates of carrying out a drone attack on the war-time administrative capital of Port Sudan earlier this month.

Speaking in New York on Monday, Khartoum’s ambassador to the United Nations, Al-Harith Idriss, alleged the operation was launched from a UAE military base with support from Emirati naval vessels in the Red Sea.

It is the first time that Sudan has accused the Gulf state of direct military intervention in its civil war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Idriss also claimed that the 4 May strike on Port Sudan was revenge for an army attack a day earlier on an alleged Emirati warplane in the RSF-controlled city of Nyala.

Khartoum recently cut diplomatic ties with the UAE, accusing it of arming and funding the rebel group in the deadly war, which is in its third year.

The UAE has denied the accusation and did not immediately comment on this latest statement.

Up until now, Port Sudan has been seen as a safe haven for government officials, diplomats, and humanitarian organisations.

But since the start of the month, it has been hit with a volley of drone strikes, largely against army facilities, the main airport, and fuel depots.

The Sudanese government is now calling on the United Nations, the African Union, and the Arab League to investigate the incident and hold accountable those responsible.

The war between the army and the RSF was triggered by a dispute over a transition to civilian rule.

It has devastated Sudan, pushing more than 13 million people out of their homes and spreading famine and disease.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese have died in the fighting.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived  in the United States on Monday ahead of a Wednesday meeting with President Donald Trump.

His state visit comes at a time when his country’s relations with Washington are at the lowest they have been in decades.

Ramaphosa is hoping to reset and revitalise bilateral relations between the two countries – particularly with regards to trade.

Since his return to office, Trump has cut all financial aid to South Africa, expelled its ambassador, and falsely claimed that the government is conducting a genocide against white Afrikaners.

Last week, the US welcomed as refugees 59 white South Africans who claim they were persecuted in their home country.

The South African presidency says Ramaphosa will discuss “bilateral, regional, and global issues of interest” with Trump.

He’s accompanied by several government officials including Agriculture Minister, John Steenhuisen, who is also leader of the Democratic Alliance, the second largest party in the government of national unity.

While in Washington, Ramaphosa is also expected to discuss business opportunities for the companies of South African-born, Elon Musk, who has become one of Trump’s close allies and advisors.