On a visit to Israel on Thursday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his decision to enable the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Shortly after meeting in Tel Aviv with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Netanyahu announced that Israel would not prevent aid from entering Gaza from Egypt.
Sunak is the fourth head of government to travel to Israel on a solidarity visit since Hamas' surprise attack on Oct. 7, following those of Romania, Germany and the United States.
Standing alongside Netanyahu at a press conference, Sunak said, “We recognize that the Palestinians are victims of Hamas too. And that is why I welcome your decision yesterday that you took, to ensure that routes into Gaza will be opened for humanitarian aid.” He added, “I’m glad that you made that decision. We will support it. We are increasing our aid to the region, and we will look to get more support to people as quickly as we can.”
Sunak also stressed that the United Kingdom stands by Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack. “We absolutely support Israel’s right to defend itself in line with international law, to go after Hamas, to take back hostages, deter further incursions, and to strengthen your security for the long term,” he said.
