UK's Prince William says 'too many' have been killed in Gaza conflict

Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, delivers a speech during the London’s Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner at The OWO, in central London, Britain, February 7, 2024. Daniel Leal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s Prince William called for an end to the fighting in Gaza, where he said too many people had been killed in the conflict.

Political interventions by members of the royal family are unusual, but William, the 41-year-old heir to the throne is due to carry out a number of engagements to recognise the human suffering caused by the conflict in the Middle East on Tuesday.

His office has also said he will draw attention to the global rise in antisemitism.

“I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed,” William said.

“I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released.”

The Prince of Wales, who in 2018 became the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, will next week attend a synagogue to hear from young people who are involved in tackling hatred and antisemitism as part of his engagement schedule.

The war in Gaza started last October when Hamas fighters burst into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages, in what William’s father, King Charles, had called “barbaric acts of terrorism”.

Since then the Israeli military response has resulted in the deaths of more than 29,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)