Prince William, Prince of Wales and first-in-line to the British throne has called for an "end to the fighting as soon as possible" but did not explicitly mention the word "ceasefire" in his statement.
The BBC reported that the future king made the statement as he visited a British Red Cross office in London on Tuesday (Feb. 20).
In a conversation with Red Cross and Red Crescent staff in Gaza, William spoke of the "terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack."
The prince added that there was a "desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza" and for the hostages to be released.
"Too many have been killed," he said in response to Red Cross workers about the humanitarian efforts to support people caught up in the conflict in the Middle East.
William was also told that the Red Cross was ready to help with the release of hostages still under Hamas captivity.
The prince was said to have felt strongly about what was happening in the Middle East and was "deeply moved as a father."
"Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home," he added.
Responses to William's Words
It was further revealed that the UK's Foreign Office had been briefed about William's statement and his visits recognizing the human suffering and distress from the Israel-Hamas War, including a scheduled trip to a synagogue later this month to talk about the fight against antisemitism.
The prince's statement was welcomed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, with a spokesperson saying that his cabinet wanted to see the end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, which was "consistent with the government position."
"Israelis of course want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible," Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said in response to William's statement, "and that will be possible once the 134 hostages are released, and once the Hamas terror army threatening to repeat the 7 October atrocities is dismantled."
Meanwhile, British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis stressed that William had shown "deep concern" for the wellbeing of all those affected by the conflict and said that his visit to a synagogue would also "send a powerful message."
Despite his title as "Defender of the Faith," referring to the Church of England, William's father, King Charles III, dedicated his life and reign to the cause of interreligious dialogue.
However, due to the king's cancer diagnosis - and his wife Catherine spending the next few weeks recovering from a scheduled abdominal surgery - William had to bear the brunt of royal duties, including attending to Charles's causes of interest.
