British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak has stated that the UK is still supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself, six months on from the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Gaza. However, Sunak expressed his dismay at the fatalities of three British aid workers in an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strike last week. Additionally, he called for a temporary ceasefire to enable more humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza. The UK also announced that a new Royal Navy vessel will be deployed to aid the delivery of supplies and pledged £9.7m of aid funding.
It has now been six months since Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 fatalities and the capture of 253 hostages. An estimated 33,137 people have died and more than 75,815 have been injured in Gaza since then. Sunak claimed that “the toll on civilians continues to grow; hunger, desperation, loss of life on an awful scale”. Sunak encouraged the delivery of aid to Gaza, stating that it “must be flooded in”.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in response to calls from some members of parliament to end the sale of arms to Israel, rejected the proposal, calling it “shameful”. Sunak’s comments follow calls from over 600 lawyers, including former Supreme Court justices, for weapon exports to Israel to cease. They declared that the UK risks breaking international law over a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza. Israel denied the allegations.
David Lammy, the Labour Party’s shadow foreign secretary, urged for Israeli hostages to be returned home and condemned the “intolerable death and destruction” of the IDF’s military operations. Lammy called for an “immediate ceasefire”. In addition, the UK has pledged £9.7m of aid. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron warned that there is a real risk of famine in the region. He stated the UK alongside the United States and Cyprus will establish a temporary pier of the coast of Gaza to transport aid via ship, which should be operational by early May
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