British Prime Minister Sunak visits Israel amid the Middle Eastern conflict with the Hamas militant group after promising to keep Jewish people safe.
Sunak's planned trip comes as global leaders are trying to de-escalate the situation in Gaza. The British prime minister is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday before he travels to other regional capitals.
Rishi Sunak Visits Israel
He will also offer his condolences to the civilians killed in the deadly Hamas attacks in the Middle Eastern region. Sunak will also call for humanitarian aid to be delivered to the people of Gaza as soon as possible.
In a statement about his trip, the British prime minister said that every civilian death is a tragedy, adding that too many lives have already been lost in the conflict. Earlier this week, there were reports that Sunak was planning his first trip to Israel but did not confirm his travel arrangements until Wednesday evening, as per BBC.
On the other hand, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is set to meet with leaders in Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar in the following days. He plans to seek support for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Cleverly will work on pushing for an agreement on humanitarian access to Gaza and the release of British hostages that Hamas militants are holding. Officials have also pointed out that Defense Secretary Grant Shapps met with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in Washington. The former allegedly went on the trip to coordinate their approach to the conflict in the Middle East.
The trips of global leaders to Israel follow the one made by United States President Joe Biden, which was overshadowed by a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday that killed hundreds of civilians.
Calling for a Peaceful Resolution
Sunak left London on Wednesday evening and will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday. The British prime minister's travel to other regional capitals did not contain much information due to security reasons as well as the fast-changing situation in the region, according to The Guardian.
On Wednesday in parliament, the British prime minister said that British intelligence was working to uncover the truth behind the blast at a hospital in Gaza. This comes as the Israeli military produced evidence that it claims that the explosion resulted from a rocket launched by Hamas misfiring.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu said that his country would allow Egypt to deliver limited quantities of humanitarian aid across to Gaza. Downing Street and Sunak expressed the need to expedite the process and called for UK nationals trapped in Gaza to be allowed to leave.
In a statement before he visited Israel, Sunak said that the attack on Al Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and worldwide. He said that the incident should compel them to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict, said Inquirer.
