British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday urged Israel and Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing to allow the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.
“We must ensure that humanitarian aid reaches civilians in Gaza. For this to happen, Egypt and Israel must allow this aid to pass through, which is sorely needed,” he declared in the House of Commons.
Sunak began his speech by expressing support for the families of those still missing after Hamas fighters carried out their operation in southern Israeli territory.
“The families of some of the missing people are present in the public gallery today. We demand the immediate release of all the hostages and I say to them: we stand with you. We stand with Israel,” said the Prime Minister.
And to insist that the United Kingdom will do everything in its power to maintain stability in the region and that it will strive to achieve this by “implementing all the tools of diplomacy” .
Sunak said he met Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Sunday in London and spoke with the presidents of Turkey and Egypt, stressing that the UK’s partners called on London to help prevent further escalation .
“We support Israel’s right to defend itself and prevent further incursions,” he said, adding, however, that this must be done in accordance with international humanitarian law.
“As a friend, we will continue to call on Israel to take all necessary precautions to avoid harm to civilians,” he added.
6 British nationals killed and 10 missing in Israel
Sunak confirmed to the House of Commons that at least six British nationals had been killed in Israel.
“Ten others are missing, and it is feared that some of them are among the victims. We are working with Israel to establish the facts as quickly as possible and we stand in solidarity with the families who are experiencing immeasurable pain,” he said. declared the British Prime Minister.
He revealed that 500 British nationals had been repatriated on eight flights and said the government was working on land evacuations.
The UK government estimates that there are around 60,000 British nationals in Israel or Palestine.
Sunak said he also understood the “great anguish” of British Muslims and would listen to their concerns.
Tens of thousands of people have staged protests in support of the Palestinians over the past week, calling on the British government to stop helping Israel commit “genocide” in Gaza.
This article is originally aa.com.tr
