UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak reached Israel on a two-day trip to the region on Thursday. He is the second world leader after US President Joe Biden to visit the strife-torn region. He will hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv. Unlike Biden, Sunak plans to visit other key capitals in the region. There are reports that he will also warn the powers on either side against any kind of escalation.
Shortly after reaching Israel, Sunak told media at the Ben Gurion Airport that October 7 attacks were ‘horrific act of terrorism.’ UK stands with Israel, Sunak said. He also added that he hopes that the meetings between him at the Israeli leaders will be ‘productive.’ He flew from the UK to Cyprus last night. In morning, he took plane for Tel Aviv. French President Macron is likely to visit Israel in coming days, a BBC report said. Apart from expressing his solidarity for Israel, Sunak will also speak about urgent need to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Meanwhile, the US has said that Egypt has reportedly agreed to allow aid trucks to Gaza amid outrage over hospital bombing. According to new update by Palestinian officials, around 3,500 people have been killed in Gaza.
New protests across Arab world after Gaza hospital bombing
Demonstrations erupted in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian West Bank, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia and elsewhere amid outrage across the Middle East over the hospital explosion. Lebanese security forces fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters throwing projectiles near the US embassy in Beirut, TV footage showed.
According to Palestinian authorities, two Palestinian teenagers were fatally shot by Israeli forces during West Bank protests. Additionally, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported the death of a Palestinian man in the West Bank village of Budrus, where he was killed during an Israeli forces raid.