- This evening (Wednesday) the Prime Minister will commence a
two-day trip to Israel and the wider region to meet counterparts
from across the Middle East.
- He will arrive in Israel early on Thursday 19th October and will meet
Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Herzog there before
travelling to a number of other regional capitals.
- In his meetings he will share his condolences for the
terrible loss of life in Israel and Gaza in the last two weeks as
a result of Hamas’ brutal terrorist attacks.
- He will 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.
- This visit follows Israel’s announcement that the route into
Gaza will be opened up to allow humanitarian aid to enter. The
Prime Minister will press for that to happen as soon as possible
to allow the UK to deliver the uplift in humanitarian aid
announced earlier this week and to enable British nationals
trapped in Gaza to leave.
- In parallel to the Prime Minister’s travel, the Foreign
Secretary will visit Egypt, Turkey and Qatar in the coming days
to underscore the UK’s messages. The Defence Secretary has also
met his counterpart in Washington today to coordinate our
response to the crisis.
The Prime Minister said:
“Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been
lost following Hamas’ horrific act of terror.
“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. I will ensure the
UK is at the forefront of this effort.”
Notes to Editors:
Given operational security and the fast-moving picture on the
ground we are not currently able to confirm the detail of the
Prime Minister’s travel beyond Israel.
The Prime Minister is expected to do media engagement on Thursday
morning and Friday morning. He will return to the UK on Friday
afternoon.
