British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to arrive in Israel on Thursday. The visit comes at a time when the situation in the region remained volatile in the aftermath of an explosion at Gaza’s Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital late on Tuesday, which Palestinian officials said killed 471 people and blamed it on what they said was an Israeli air strike.
British PM’s visit plan
In Israel, the British Prime Minister will share his condolences for the loss of life in the ongoing conflict between the two countries. He also warned against further escalation of conflict in the area.
“Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas’ horrific act of terror,” Sunak said in a statement ahead of his visit. On the other hand, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will travel to Egypt, Turkey and Qatar over the next three days to discuss the conflict and seek a peaceful resolution.
Aid to Gaza
Egypt has agreed to reopen its border crossing with the Gaza Strip to allow aid to reach Palestinians. On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden discussed aid for Gaza with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi by phone after flying home from a less than eight-hour visit to Israel.
According to Reuters, Egypt will allow about 20 trucks carrying humanitarian aid towards Gaza, where people are desperately short of food, water, fuel and other essentials after Israel unleashed a blockade and air strikes 12 days ago.
Biden’s aid for Israel
US President Joe Biden is likely to ask Congress for a US Dollar 10 billion aid package for Israel. He said that the United States would do everything it could to ensure Israel was safe while also urging Israelis not to be consumed by rage. Biden further added that the vast majority of Palestinians were not affiliated with Hamas.
(With input from agencies)