{"id":1201,"date":"2023-10-18T22:42:46","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T22:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/rishi-sunak-to-visit-israel-as-world-leaders-seek-de-escalation\/"},"modified":"2023-10-18T22:42:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T22:42:46","slug":"rishi-sunak-to-visit-israel-as-world-leaders-seek-de-escalation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/260web.com\/news\/rishi-sunak-to-visit-israel-as-world-leaders-seek-de-escalation\/","title":{"rendered":"Rishi Sunak to visit Israel as world leaders seek de-escalation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rishi Sunak to visit Israel as world leaders seek de-escalation<\/p>\n

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\"Prime<\/picture><\/span>Reuters<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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By Chris Mason & Joshua Nevett <\/div>\n
BBC Politics<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is to visit Israel as world leaders step up efforts to prevent the conflict with Hamas spilling into the wider region.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He will meet Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday before travelling to other regional capitals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Sunak will offer his condolences for the civilians killed in the deadly Hamas attacks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He will also press for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza as soon as possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“Every civilian death is a tragedy,” the prime minister said ahead of the trip. “And too many lives have been lost following Hamas’s horrific act of terror.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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There had been reports earlier this week that Mr Sunak was planning his first trip to Israel, but he would not confirm his travel arrangements until Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar in the coming days to seek support for a peaceful resolution in Israel and Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The foreign secretary will push for an agreement on humanitarian access to Gaza, and the release of British hostages held by Hamas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Officials have also pointed out that Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has met his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington “to co-ordinate” their approach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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There will be a determination in government to use whatever diplomatic levers they can as quickly as they can, before Israel’s widely anticipated ground offensive in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The trips by senior British ministers follow US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel, which was overshadowed by a deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza City on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Biden said the blast appeared to have been caused by a failed rocket launched by Palestinian militants, backing Israel’s account of the incident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But Palestinian officials said an Israeli air strike hit the hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said British intelligence services were working to establish who was behind the blast, telling MPs not to “rush to judgment”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In a later statement, Mr Sunak said: “The attack on Al-Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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“I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this effort.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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More on Israel-Gaza war<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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