British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak landed in Israel today for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog. Following these meetings, he will continue on to visit other capitals in the region, according to his office.
During his visit, PM Sunak will express his condolences for the lives lost in Israel and Gaza due to the attack that occurred on October 7th. He will also emphasize the importance of avoiding any further escalation of conflict in the area.
“Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas’ horrific act of terror,” Sunak said in a statement ahead of his visit.
He said a deadly blast at a Gaza hospital on Tuesday which killed hundreds of Palestinians should be “a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict”, pledging Britain would be at “the forefront of this effort”.
The UK Prime Minister will also call for the establishment of a pathway to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza promptly and to facilitate the safe departure of British citizens currently stranded in Gaza.
As per information from a spokesperson for PM Sunak on Wednesday, there have been a minimum of seven British nationals who lost their lives, and at least nine others are unaccounted for since the attack on Israel.
In addition to PM Sunak’s visit, the British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, who had previously travelled to Israel, is scheduled to embark on a journey to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar in the next three days. His aim is to engage in discussions regarding the conflict and seek a peaceful resolution, as stated by his office.
Britain said the three countries were “vital to international efforts to uphold regional stability, free hostages and allow humanitarian access to Gaza”.