Sunak welcomes ‘critical’ pause in Israel-Hamas war
An Israeli bulldozer makes a roadblock at Salah al-Din road in central Gaza Strip as the temporary ceasefire went into effect (Hatem Moussa/AP) (AP)
Rishi Sunak has welcomed the “critical” temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas conflict but said it was only the “first step” towards the release of all hostages.
Hamas freed 13 hostages on Friday, according to Israeli media, with dozens of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel to be released in exchange.
They are the first of 50 hostages captured by the militant group seven weeks ago to be released in stages during the four-day pause in fighting between Israeli forces and the militant group which began early on Friday.
The Prime Minister said the UK will work with partners in the region to “make sure that this deal sticks”, as more life-saving humanitarian aid began entering Gaza as part of the agreement.
It marks the first significant halt in the conflict that erupted after Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, in which it took about 240 hostages.
The first group to be released, expected to be women and children, were on their way out of Gaza with the Red Cross, Israeli media reported.
Thailand said 12 of its nationals held by Hamas in Gaza were also freed on Friday.
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron was visiting the Occupied Palestinian Territories to meet Palestinian leaders and commit a further £30 million in aid for the people of Gaza.
On the second day of his trip to the region to advocate adherence to the new agreement on all sides, the former prime minister also spoke to aid agencies about their humanitarian response in the territory as well as settler violence in the West Bank.
Mr Sunak told broadcasters: “We’ve consistently pushed for sustained humanitarian pauses so that we could get more aid into Gaza and get hostages out, so this is a very welcome development.
We need to make sure everyone abides by the terms of the agreement and we want to see all hostages released, including protecting the safety of British nationals that are involved
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
“It’s obviously the first step. We need to make sure everyone abides by the terms of the agreement and we want to see all hostages released, including protecting the safety of British nationals that are involved.”
He thanked Qatar and Egypt for the intensive weeks-long diplomacy in helping to secure the deal.
The Prime Minister continued: “We’re continuing to work with all our partners in the region, whether that’s America, Israel and Egypt and others to make sure that this deal sticks and we can continue to do what we want to support everyone in Gaza, get more aid in and to ensure the safety and release of all hostages.
“So it’s a very welcome step, something that we’ve been pushing hard for and working with partners on, so I’m glad that this has come to fruition.”
Lord Cameron’s talks with Palestinian leaders were to focus on how UK efforts can help ease the suffering of Gaza’s citizens, who have been bombarded and besieged by Israel as it attacks Hamas in response to the October 7 atrocities.
He was pictured looking over the West Bank with representatives from aid organisations, where he heard about Israeli settlement expansion and violence towards Palestinians.
“The Reports of Palestinian civilians being killed by settlers across the West Bank are appalling,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office tweeted.
“Israel must prevent these acts of violence and hold those responsible to account.”
Lord Cameron also met senior UN officials in Jerusalem, where he offered his condolences for the 108 UN workers killed during the current crisis, the department said.
He announced £30 million of new funding for aid such as shelter and medical provisions as a fourth British aircraft carrying 23 tonnes of critical supplies including blankets and sleeping mats landed in Egypt, for onward transfer to Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary was urging “all parties to continue to work towards the release of every hostage” after holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog during a visit to Israel on Thursday.