Rishi Sunak says Al-Ahli hospital blast likely caused by missile from Gaza

Rishi Sunak says the UK has judged that the blast at Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital was likely caused by “a missile, or part of one” fired from “within Gaza”.

The PM said the conclusion was based on the “deep knowledge and analysis of our intelligence and weapons experts”.

Media outlets, including the BBC, reported an initial Hamas statement blaming Israel for Tuesday’s explosion.

Israel denied this shortly afterwards, saying that it was caused by a misfiring rocket from within Gaza.

Mr Sunak told the House of Commons: “On the basis of the deep knowledge and analysis of our intelligence and weapons experts, the British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel.”

Mr Sunak said that “misreporting” of the blast had had a “negative effect in the region”.

“We need to learn the lessons and ensure that in future there is no rush to judgement,” he said.

Regional leaders cancelled a meeting with US President Joe Biden in the aftermath of the explosion.

Mr Biden has since backed the Israeli assessment of the incident.

Mr Sunak also said the UK would give a further £20 million of humanitarian aid to Gaza, doubling its earlier funding.

He said Palestinians were suffering, and called them “victims of Hamas”.

He added that “we need to invest more deeply in regional stability and in the two-state solution” to the conflict, which would see the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The prime minister said there was”no scenario” where Hamas could be allowed to “control Gaza or any part of the Palestinian territories”.

He also made mention of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“It is a same motivation that drives [Vladimir] Putin’s war on Ukraine, the fear of Ukraine’s emergence as a modern, thriving democracy and a desire to pull it back into some imperialist fantasy of the past. Putin will fail and so will Hamas,” he said.

He also condemned the use of the word “jihad” at a pro-Palestinian protest in London over the weekend. A video posted online appeared to show a man shouting the word at a separate event from the main pro-Palestine march.

“Calls for jihad on our streets are not only a threat to the Jewish community but to our democratic values and we expect the police to take all necessary action to tackle extremism head-on,” he said.

Opposition leader Keir Starmer said humanitarian corridors must be established for civilians in Gaza trying to escape violence.

He said basic human needs like water, food and medicine must not be denied to people who need them.

“Gaza needs aid and it needs to be rapid, safe, unhindered and regular,” he said.

The first aid convoys reached Gaza through the border with Egypt over the weekend – 20 lorries on Saturday and 14 on Sunday.

The UN said much more was needed and the Rafah border crossing is still not open for foreign nationals seeking to flee Gaza.

Israel says that more than 1,400 people were killed when Hamas attacked communities near Gaza on 7 October, shooting civilians dead in their homes, in the streets and at a music festival.

Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, says more than 5,000 people have been killed in the enclave.

At least 10 British nationals were among those killed in the Hamas attacks.

Yosef Guedalia, 22, is the latest British-Israeli named as being killed by Hamas. The soldier was part of an anti-terror unit when he was killed confronting Hamas gunmen at Kibbutz Kfar Aza.