Rishi Sunak jets to Israel for crisis talks as war against Hamas in Gaza looms
Rishi Sunak has travelled to Israel for a two-day diplomatic tour of the Middle East.
The Prime Minister jetted from the UK to meet Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu following the Hamas terror attacks which left at least 1,400 Israelis dead. He arrived early on Thursday morning. The Conservative leader is expected to discuss the explosion at Gaza’s al-Ahli Hospital in which hundreds of Palestinians are feared to have died.
Israel claims the blast was caused by rockets misfired by Palestinian Islamic Jihad but Hamas blamed it on an Israeli air strike. The PM said: “Every civilian death is a tragedy and too many lives have been lost following Hamas’ horrific act of terror. 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.”
After his trip to Israel, Mr Sunak is due to travel to other capitals as Gazans prepare for an air, sea and land war with Israeli forces. No10 said he will “tell fellow leaders that, as an international community, we must not let Hamas’ barbaric terrorism and disregard for human life become a catalyst for further escalation of conflict in the region”.
A devastating explosion hit the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday (Anadolu via Getty Images)Before heading to Israel, Mr Sunak told the Commons that British intelligence experts are carrying out their own investigation into who was behind the blast at the al-Ahli hospital. Following early morning crisis talks with his National Security Adviser and the Joint Intelligence Committee chairwoman, he told MPs: “Our intelligence services have been rapidly analysing the evidence to independently establish the facts."
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Foreign Secretary James Cleverly later pledged the results of the probe into the explosion would be made public. Answering an urgent Commons question, he said: “We are carefully analysing the evidence that has been put into the public domain and other information. As soon as we have reached a definitive conclusion for ourselves we will make that public.”
He added: “This is a time for cool heads.” Mr Cleverly described the “destruction” of the hospital as “an appalling tragedy” which inflicted a “devastating loss of human life that is profoundly disturbing”.
He went on: “The UK is working intensively with our allies to establish the facts. We will not rush to judgement. Pointing fingers prematurely only fuels regional instability and upsets community cohesion here in the UK. We need a firm grasp of what’s happened, not a slew of social media commentary.”
Urging MPs and the wider public to wait until the Government had carried out its investigation, he added: “I appreciate and understand the House and indeed the country will want to understand what is going on in real time - and sometimes the pause that we impose upon ourselves to make sure the information the Government provides is accurate can be frustrating. But I would prefer, of course, to be accurate rather than just work at pace.”
After landing in Tel Aviv, US President Joe Biden told Mr Netanyahu: “Based on what I have seen, it was done by the other team, not you.” But Mr Cleverly told MPs: “We take note of what President Biden has said but we will come to our own judgement.” He said the UK’s assessment will be published “as soon as we are confident of the details” and “when we are comfortable of the facts”. He added: “We will not be led by any other nation, it will be a UK assessment.”
The Scottish National Party’s foreign affairs spokesman Brendan O’Hara said the explosion at the hospital was a “war crime, it was a crime against humanity”. He added: “If that is the case there can be no hiding place for those who gave the order and those who carried it out. Independent investigators must be allowed to find out exactly who was responsible for this atrocity and have them brought before the International Criminal Court.”
Downing Street warned it was "deeply irresponsible" to jump to conclusions over the explosion. Mr Sunak's spokesman said "no-one should be taking at face value the word of a terrorist organisation" after Hamas blamed the Israeli military. "We are speaking to the US of course but we will be speaking to our partners in the intelligence agencies carrying out their own work.
"At this point we're not attributing," the spokesman said. "Jumping to conclusions is deeply irresponsible given the seriousness of the situation. Sadly some groups are using these events to stir up hatred on all sides which is utterly abhorrent and unacceptable... no one should be taking at face value the word of a terrorist organisation."
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