UK and US say Netanyahu making a ‘mistake’ and must ease ‘intolerable’ Gaza suffering
The UK and US have given harsh rebukes to the way Israel has handled the war in Gaza on Tuesday, describing it as a "mistake" and "increasingly intolerable.”
Rishi Sunak said: “It was a shocking tragedy what happened to our veterans when they were selflessly carrying out aid missions into Gaza and I’ve also said repeatedly the situation in Gaza is increasingly intolerable,” he told the programme.
“The humanitarian suffering that people are experiencing isn’t right and Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to do more to alleviate that. I’ve made that very clear to him.”
President Joe Biden earlier described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the conflict as a “mistake,” marking one of his most forceful critiques against Israel's war against Hamas.
“Well, I will tell you, I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Univision, in an interview taped just days after Israeli military strikes killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers, sparking anger and frustration throughout the White House.
“I think it’s outrageous that those four, three vehicles were hit by drones and taken out on a highway where it wasn’t like it was along the shore, it wasn’t like there was a convoy moving there,” he continued.
Following the deaths of seven aid workers, including three British nationals, in a drone strike last week, the British government has faced growing pressure to suspend arms export licences to the Israel.
But Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron confirmed on Tuesday that Britain would continue to allow sales, prompting criticism from aid organisations and charities.
Speaking to LBC, Mr Sunak defended the move, saying “none of our allies” have stopped existing arms export licences, but said he had made it “very clear” to the Israeli premier that he needs to improve aid access.
Biden also called for Israel to agree to a ceasefire and that there is “no excuse” for not sending in humanitarian aid on Tuesday.
“What I’m calling for is for the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks total access to all food and medicine going into the country. I’ve spoken with everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians.
"They’re prepared to move in. They’re prepared to move this food in. And I think there’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and the food needs of those people. It should be done now,” Biden said.
The comments come as negotiations continue in Cairo. Speaking on Tuesday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Hamas has not yet provided a response.
Sullivan said he’d asked the prime minister of Qatar, which has acted as a mediator in the ongoing talks, to press the group for a quick response to a proposal that would secure the release of hostages.
He said the White House had seen comments from Hamas casting doubt on an agreement on the latest proposal.
Meanwhile in Washington, Lord David Cameron met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
He said Israel has not apprised the US of any specific date for the start of a major offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but added that American and Israeli officials remained in contact to try to ensure that “any kind of major military operation doesn’t do real harm to civilians.”
Blinken spoke a day after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu vowed that a date has been set to invade Rafah.
The United States, Israel’s closest ally, says a ground operation into Rafah would be a mistake and has demanded to see a credible plan to protect civilians.
Rafah is filled with around 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom are displaced from other parts of the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s war against the militant group Hamas has pushed Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, leaving more than 33,000 people dead and 1 million people on the brink of starvation.
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