UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has become the latest world leader to visit Israel to express solidarity with the country in the wake of the barbaric attack on the country earlier this month. President Joe Biden visited Israel yesterday and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.
Sunak met with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as with the families of UK citizens held hostage in Gaza. Prior to his visit he had condemned the Hamas attack and said that world leaders needed to unite to prevent an escalation. He said, "We stand with Israel. It is not only your right to defend yourselves, it is your duty."
After hearing Israel's explanation about how it was an Islamic Jihad rocket that had misfired that hit a Gaza hospital on Tuesday, Sunak said that Gaza residents are also victims of Hamas and that he welcomes humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Yesterday Herzog told UK newspaper "The Daily Mail" that he was shocked that the BBC refused to call Hamas terrorists.
The IDF Spokesperson has said that according to the latest count more than 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the start of the war, including 306 soldiers. 203 families have been told that their loved ones are being held hostage in Gaza.
Sunak will be flying on to visit other countries in the region.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 19, 2023.
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