Wednesday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined a meeting with UK National Security Adviser Tim Barrow and Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz. Gantz has been in various meetings with officials in the US and UK since Sunday, against Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s wishes.
The war cabinet minister has been working to gain international pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages. Israel’s Channel 12 reports Sunak told Gantz that while the British parliament is being faced with pressure, he does not allow himself to forget Hamas’s onslaught of terror on October 7th.
Gantz has also been willing to address the humanitarian aid crisis in Gaza. Earlier that day, he met with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who pressed him to discuss solutions, such as more accessible land and maritime routes to increase the flow of aid. Cameron says that not enough improvements have been seen, and that this must change.
In a statement, the foreign secretary said, “The UK supports Israel’s right to self-defense, but as the occupying power in Gaza, Israel has a legal responsibility to ensure aid is available for civilians.
That responsibility has consequences, including when we as the UK assess whether Israel is compliant with international humanitarian law.. Gantz received similar assertions from the officials he met in Washington earlier this week.
