UK stands with you: Sunak tells Israel

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Israel on Thursday to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog before travelling to other capitals in the Middle East, BBC reports.

Upon arrival, Sunak told reporters at Tel Aviv airport that the Hamas attacks on October 7 were an "unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism", and he reiterated that the UK stands with Israel.

"I'm very much looking forward to my meetings later with the prime minister and president and I very much hope they'll be productive meetings," Sunak said.

Prior to his trip, he said in a statement, "The attack on Al Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict. I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this effort."

Sunak is expected to stress the international community must "not let Hamas' barbaric terrorism and disregard for human life become a catalyst for further escalation of conflict in the region", the statement said.

He is also expected to insist that humanitarian aid, which London recently announced would be increased for the Palestinians, be allowed to arrive at a time when Israel has authorised the entry of aid into Gaza from Egypt, and that Britons stranded in Gaza be allowed to leave.

London has pledged its support for Israel following the bloody attacks by Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 people, and has announced that the UK's humanitarian aid to the Palestinians will be increased by a third – an extra £10 million pounds ($12 million).

Israel is relentlessly bombing the small, crowded territory of Gaza, where more than 3,400 people have been killed, most of them Palestinian civilians, according to the local authorities.

/KN/