Prince William's heartfelt message to highlight 'human suffering' in Middle East
As the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage in Gaza, Prince William will meet those involved in aid support to hear first-hand of the horrific human cost.
And the 41-year-old is to highlight the suffering with a series of engagements that outline his and Kate’s hope for lasting peace in the devastated region. William will chat to workers providing humanitarian assistance there and meet youngsters in a synagogue to discuss the rise of hate crimes and anti-Semitism.
It comes as 62 aid charities, including Amnesty International UK and Save the Children UK, demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to stop further bloodshed. Kensington Palace said: “The Prince of Wales will undertake engagements which recognise the human suffering caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, as well as the rise of anti-Semitism around the world.
Prince William visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 2018 (Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)“His Royal Highness will meet those providing humanitarian support in the region and will hear first-hand accounts of the situation facing those on the ground. Separately he will join a conversation at a synagogue with young people from a wide range of communities who are advocates against hatred and anti-Semitism.
“The Prince and Princess were profoundly concerned by the events in late 2023 and continue to hold all the victims, their family and friends in their hearts and minds. Their Royal Highnesses continue to share in the hope of a better future for all those affected.”
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William took part in the first official royal visit to Israel and the West Bank in 2018 that is said to have profoundly affected him. The Prince met youngsters damaged by conflict. The Mirror revealed exclusively at the time he vowed to make peace in the Middle East his “lifelong project”.
William meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah on June 27, 2018 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)His trip was said to have been carefully designed to be “non-political” and he was at pains to divide his time. He prayed at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City and played football with Palestinian youth in Ramallah. William also met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. He told Palestinians: “My message tonight is that you have not been forgotten.”
A royal spokesman said: “Those The Prince of Wales met in 2018 overwhelmingly shared a common hope… that of a better future.” In 2020, then-Prince Charles also made a historic visit to Bethlehem where he gave a passionate plea for peace.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected a hostage deal (AFP via Getty Images)It is said more than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war so far, with fears of more to come as Israel threatens to expand its military offensive to Rafah. Action for Humanity was among the 62 charities calling for a ceasefire. The charity’s Nicola Banks said: “We are particularly concerned by the imminent escalation in Rafah, where over 1.3 million displaced civilians are currently sheltering and facing critical shortages.
“If the international community cannot limit military operations in Rafah, we risk a humanitarian catastrophe surpassing the horrors even of the past months.” Labour leader Keir Starmer is also calling for an end to the fighting in the Middle East. MPs are expected to vote on the ceasefire demands tomorrow.
Palestinian children wait in line to receive food prepared by volunteers in Rafah, Gaza (Anadolu via Getty Images)Israel’s military action is in response to the horrifying attack in the country by Hamas on October 7 that left 1,200 people dead and 250 kidnapped. The royals immediately condemned the atrocity at the time. Mr Starmer has previously called for a “sustainable ceasefire”.
But as more and more innocent people are killed, Labour appears to have toughened its response. Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “We want to see a ceasefire. And we have been increasingly concerned with the disproportionate loss of civilian life in Gaza.
“Israel has a responsibility to get its hostages back, every country in the world has a right to defend itself. But I think we have seen actions that go beyond reasonable self-defence and also call into question whether Israel has broken international law. Israel has gone too far. We have seen that with a disproportionate loss of innocent civilian life.”
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