Rishi Sunak visits Israel and neighboring countries, seeks de-escalation of crisis

(Patria) - United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit Israel as world leaders intensify efforts to prevent the conflict with Hamas from spilling over into the wider region, the BBC reported.

He will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday before traveling to other regional capitals.

Sunak will express condolences for civilians killed in Hamas's deadly attacks and call for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza as soon as possible.

“Every civilian death is a tragedy,” he said ahead of the trip.

“Far too many lives have been lost following Hamas’s horrific act of terror.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet with leaders in Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar in the coming days to seek support for a peaceful resolution in Israel and Gaza. He will advocate for an agreement on humanitarian access to Gaza and the release of British hostages held by Hamas.

Officials also highlighted that Defence Secretary Grant Shapps met with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington to “coordinate” their approach.

The government will be determined to use all diplomatic levers as soon as possible, ahead of Israel’s expected ground offensive in Gaza. The trips by senior British ministers followed a visit by US President Joe Biden to Israel, which was overshadowed on Tuesday by a deadly explosion at a hospital in Gaza City.

Biden said the explosion was caused by a rocket launched by Palestinian militants,
supporting the Israeli account of the incident. Palestinian officials said an Israeli airstrike hit the hospital.

Sunak said British intelligence services are working to determine who was behind the explosion, telling MPs not to “rush to judgment.” In a later statement, he said: “The attack on Al-Ahli hospital should be a turning point for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to prevent further dangerous escalation of the conflict. I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of these efforts.”

Ahead of his trip, hundreds of protesters attended a vigil outside Downing Street in London for those killed in the hospital explosion. Elsewhere in the capital, King Charles fervently advocated for religious tolerance and mutual respect, against the backdrop of “international turmoil” in Israel and Gaza.

The Prime Minister’s trip followed Israeli warnings of a ground offensive in Gaza, where concerns about the humanitarian situation persist.

Sunak said the UK is working “around the clock” to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. At least seven British nationals have been confirmed killed following the attacks on Israel. The government has stated that nine more British nationals are missing.