Thursday, October 19, 2023
Sunak stands with Israel in "darkest hour".
The British Prime Minister will fly to Saudi Arabia later.
Gazans scoff at promise of just 20 aid trucks.
Israeli forces continued their airstrikes on Gaza while British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden visited Israel to demonstrate support for Israel and discuss the ongoing conflict with Hamas.
After a meeting with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister said the Palestinian people were "also victims of Hamas".
He reiterated that the UK supports Israel's right to self-defence in accordance with international law.
Borrowing a phrase from British World War II leader Sir Winston Churchill, Netanyahu said the Hamas attack was "our darkest hour" and "the world's darkest hour."
Mr. Sunak said: “I am proud to stand here with you in Israel's darkest hour as your friend.
"We will stand with you in solidarity, we will stand with your people. And we also want you to win."
President Biden pledged to help defend Israel and comforted survivors of the recent Hamas attack that killed 1,400 people in southern Israel. However, his efforts to persuade Israel to ease the situation in Gaza, where 2.3 million people are under complete siege, have had limited success.
President Biden announced Egypt's offer to allow 20 trucks of humanitarian aid in the coming days, though that falls short of the 100 trucks a day the UN has deemed necessary.
Equipment to repair roads on the Gaza side was sent through the Egyptian crossing to transport aid, but over 100 trucks were still waiting on the Egyptian side to cross on Friday.
While Israel has agreed to allow limited aid from Egypt to Gaza, it has argued that aid from its own territory will only be allowed after the release of more than 200 hostages held by Hamas militants. Israel also declared that its bombing campaign would not be halted and vowed to attack and destroy all locations where Hamas was present.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in Tel Aviv after President Biden's departure and delivered similar messages of support and condolences for the Israelis.
He expressed solidarity with the people of Israel and stressed that the UK stood with them following the recent terrorist attack.
Inside Gaza, medics reported that the bombings killed nearly 3,500 people and injured more than 12,000. The destruction was extensive and entire areas were reduced to rubble.
The situation has caused widespread suffering and displaced approximately half of Gaza's population, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth.
The ongoing conflict and civilian suffering in Gaza has sparked outrage across the Middle East and complicated efforts by Western leaders to rally Arab support to keep the conflict from escalating.
President Biden's plans to meet with Arab leaders were disrupted by an explosion at a hospital in Gaza on the eve of his visit, leading to the cancellation of the summit.
The Palestinians attributed the explosion to an Israeli airstrike, while Israel claimed it was the result of a failed rocket launch by Palestinian fighters.
Protests erupted across the region, and President Biden, who spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on his return flight, stressed that American evidence supported Israel's account of the hospital explosion.
Egypt has declared that its passage to Gaza is open on its side, but remains inaccessible due to Israeli bombardment. Cairo also rejected the idea of opening the borders for a mass exodus of Gazans.
The situation remains complex, and efforts to provide humanitarian aid, negotiate a ceasefire and address the needs of the civilian population in Gaza continue as the conflict rages.
