UK’s Rishi Sunak heads to Israel for meetings with Netanyahu, Herzog

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak headed to Israel on Thursday before flying on to other countries in the region in an effort to deescalate the Israel-Gaza conflict, his office said.

Sunak will land in Israel at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog, according to his office.

Sunak will condemn Hamas’s “horrific act of terror” and express condolences for the “terrible loss of life in Israel and Gaza in the last two weeks as a result of Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks,” according to the statement released by Downing Street ahead of his trip.

“Sunak will also stress that any civilian death is a tragedy and tell fellow leaders that, as an international community, we must not let Hamas’ barbaric terrorism and disregard for human life become a catalyst for further escalation of conflict in the region.”

Sunaks called the “attack” on a Gaza City hospital on Tuesday night “a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict.”

“I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this effort,” he added.

The explosion Tuesday evening at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza sparked an uproar, with terror group Hamas falsely blaming Israeli airstrikes. Israel has presented evidence that the deadly blast in the parking lot of the facility was caused by a misfired rocket launched by Palestinian terrorists.

On his visit to Israel, Sunak is also expected to insist that humanitarian aid, which London recently announced would be increased for the Palestinians, be allowed to arrive at a time when Israel has authorized the entry of aid into Gaza from Egypt, and that Britons stranded in Gaza be allowed to leave.

London has pledged its support for Israel following the bloody attacks by Hamas, which killed more than 1,400 people, mainly civilians, and has announced that the UK’s humanitarian aid to the Palestinians will be increased by a third — an extra £10 million pounds ($12 million).

Sunak will also visit “a number of other regional capitals,” Downing Street says, without providing details.

While Sunak is in Israel, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will be in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps met his US counterpart Lloyd Austin in Washington on Wednesday “to coordinate our response to the crisis,” according to the statement.

Sunak’s visit comes on the heels of a visit to Israel by US President Joe Biden, who arrived on Wednesday morning and left late in the day.

Biden met with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials and secured an agreement for humanitarian assistance to Gaza via Egypt.

“The people of Gaza need food, water, medicine, shelter,” Biden said in a parting speech. “Today, I asked the Israeli cabinet, who I met with for some time this morning, to agree to the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, based on the understanding that there will be inspections, and that the aid should go to civilians, not to Hamas.”

Netanyahu’s office announced at the same time that it would allow water, medicine, and food to reach southern Gaza from Egypt, but would interfere if any of it reached Hamas. Netanyahu also vowed not to let any aid into the Strip through Israel’s crossings.

Biden also announced $100 million in new funds for Gaza and the West Bank. The US president said that he planned this week to “ask the United States Congress for an unprecedented support package for Israel’s defense. We are going to keep Iron Dome fully supplied so it can continue standing sentinel over Israeli skies, saving Israeli lives.”

The war began on October 7, when some 2,500 Hamas terrorists blasted through the Israeli security fence via land, sea, and air and streamed into Israel. The brutal onslaught killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, the vast majority of them civilians, with 200-250 taken captive in Gaza.