Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said “specific pauses” are needed in Gaza to allow the flow of humanitarian aid, fleeing hostages and foreign nationals, but stressed he was not calling for a ceasefire.
Downing Street said “a wholesale ceasefire would only serve to benefit Hamas.”
The prime minister made the remarks on humanitarian “pauses” after Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Colum Eastwood urged him to call for a ceasefire and “tell Israel to stop meting out collective punishment to the people of Gaza.”
Mr. Sunak responded, “As I said, an important principle is that Israel does have the right to defend itself under international law, to ensure that attacks like this one—which was brutal and horrific for its citizens—cannot happen again.”
The Israel-Hamas war began on Oct.7 after Hamas terrorists launched missiles toward Israel, raped, slaughtered, and kidnapped civilians in their homes and at a music festival.
Mr. Sunak said the UK “continue to support” Israel’s right to defend itself, but also wants to have a humanitarian corridor.
“We recognise that that means there has to be a safer environment, which, of course, necessitates specific pauses, as distinct from a ceasefire,” he said, adding that the UK discussed this at the U.N. on Tuesday.
The prime minister’s spokesperson said: “A wholesale ceasefire would only serve to benefit Hamas.
“Humanitarian pauses, which are temporary, which are limited in scope, can be an operational tool.”
Meanwhile, Muslim Labour MPs urged Sir Keir Starmer to call for a ceasefire as he sought to soothe their anger over his position on the conflict.
The Labour leader joined Mr. Sunak and the U.S. in backing “humanitarian pauses.”
Dowden: Can’t Avoid ‘Civilian Impact’
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said the length of a humanitarian “pause” in would depend on “the circumstances of getting that aid in.”“For example, if you think about the Rafah crossing, taking aid from Egypt into Gaza, to enable that aid to be transferred safely into Gaza, it would depend on the circumstances on the ground,” he told Times Radio.
He said a pause would be “different to a ceasefire, which is a total cessation of hostilities, which I don’t think recognises properly the situation that Israel finds itself in, in respect of this attack from Hamas, which has to be dealt with by Israel.”
Asked about the Palestinian deaths in Gaza, Mr. Dowden told Sky News he’s “heartbroken by every loss of innocent civilian life” but believes the way to stop more civilian deaths is to “remove the terrorist threat and to move to a position where we can restore stability and peace to this region.”
“You can’t conduct a military offensive against an enemy that hides among the civilian population, that targets your country from among a civilian population without there being some civilian impact,” he said.
“But I believe that Israel is seeking to minimise those numbers, and we continue to urge Israel to respect international law and minimise civilian casualties.”
Mr. Dowden said ministers will discuss discuss “the hostages and the wider situation in the region,” and “securing humanitarian aid” in a Cobra meeting on Thursday.
According to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, as of Tuesday there were 1,400 deaths and 4,450 wounded in Israel, with more than 200 held hostage, and 5,700 deaths and 16,200 injured in Gaza.
Separately, the IDF said on Oct. 10 that it had killed 1,500 Hamas terrorists.
The Epoch Times could not independently verify the death tolls cited by Hamas, which says it tallies figures from hospital directors.
The accusation from Gaza, which was quickly cited by media outlets, led to the cancellation of a four-way summit which would have been attended by U.S. President Joe Biden, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Mr. Sunak told Parliament on Monday that the UK’s assessment is that “the explosion was likely caused by a missile, or part of one, that was launched from within Gaza toward Israel,” adding, “The misreporting of that incident had a negative effect in the region, including on a vital U.S. diplomatic effort, and on tensions here at home.”
