Sunak meets with Israeli families who lost loved ones in Hamas terror attack
The UK prime minister has met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv, telling him 'You have suffered something unspeakable, a barbaric act of terrorism'
Rishi Sunak has arrived in Tel Aviv for meetings with his counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog where he is expected to ask for aid to be allowed into Gaza and for Britons stranded there to be allowed to leave the area.
Ahead of the meeting he told Israeli media: “Above all, I’m here to express my solidarity with the Israeli people. You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism and I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you.”
On his social media feed Sunak shared photographs of his meeting with relatives of those murdered in the October 7th terrorist attacks.
He said:”To have a child taken from you is a parent’s worst nightmare. This morning I heard from families going through this unbearable agony.
“Working with our partners, we’re determined to secure the release of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists.”
I’ve just met President @Isaac_Herzog and conveyed my gratitude for the support provided to British nationals caught up in the terror attacks.
Together we agreed on the importance of getting urgent humanitarian support to ordinary Palestinians in Gaza who are also suffering. pic.twitter.com/SouO8wRj4o
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 19, 2023
During his meeting with the UK PM, Herzog said:”We are dealing with one of the worst terrorist organisations in the world.
“And I know that in modern democracies, like ours and yours, you can’t interfere per se, but since the BBC has a certain linkage and as is known as British all over the world, there has to be an outcry for it to be corrected, and that Hamas will be defined as a terrorist organization there as well. What else do they need to see to understand that this is an atrocious terror organisation?”
Sunak responded:”You have suffered something unspeakable, a barbaric act of terrorism, as you said, we should call it what it is: an act of terrorism perpetrated by an evil terrorist organisation, Hamas. That’s what I believe.
“And that’s what we will continue to say. And in that vein, we will stand with Israel, we will stand with you in solidarity with your people and your right to defend yourself, to bring security back to your country, to your people, to ensure the safe return of the hostages that have been taken. You have not just a right to do that, I think you have a duty to do that, to restore that security to your country.”
Herzog said to Sunak he was grateful he had “come to visit Israel in our darkest hour, but we will overcome and prevail and it will be our finest hour.”
The Israeli president noted:” Every hour another story, another story and another story of shocking stories, shocking – people being burned and tied up in barbed wire, you can only think about a family just before they are totally murdered, and heads cut off, all the things that you’ve been hearing. ”
Also in the meeting, the pair discussed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UK PM said:”I’m glad that you and I have had a chance to discuss the need for humanitarian access. Palestinians are victims of what Hamas has done.
“And it’s important that we continue to provide humanitarian access, I welcomed the announcement yesterday – the UK has announced further aid that we’re prepared to bring into the region. And we’re keen to see that that gets to those who need it, when people have been asked to leave to protect civilian life, which is the right thing to do – where we can support them, we want to do that. And I very much welcome the progress that we’ve made on that.”
I am in Israel, a nation in grief.
I grieve with you and stand with you against the evil that is terrorism.
Today, and always.
סוֹלִידָרִיוּת pic.twitter.com/DTcvkkLqdT
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 19, 2023
In an early statement, he said the Gaza hospital blast on Tuesday that caused mass Palestinian casualties should be “a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict”, adding that Britain would be at “the forefront of this effort”.
Sunak will also go on to visit other regional capitals.
The British foreign secretary, James Cleverly – who visited Israel last week – will travel to Egypt, Turkey and Qatar over the next three days to discuss the conflict and to seek a peaceful resolution, his office said.
Britain said the three countries were “vital to international efforts to uphold regional stability, free hostages and allow humanitarian access to Gaza”.
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