Rishi Sunak steps up diplomatic campaign to avoid wider Middle East war

Rishi Sunak will travel to Egypt as part of an intensive diplomatic effort to prevent the Israel-Hamas war spiralling into a wider regional conflict.

The Prime Minister has already held talks with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

“In all these conversations the Prime Minister has stressed the imperative of avoiding regional escalation and preventing the further unnecessary loss of civilian life,” a No 10 spokesman said.

The Prime Minister’s continued tour of the Middle East comes as he faces domestic difficulties from the loss of two safe Tory seats in Westminster by-elections.

The dangers of the Hamas conflict spilling over were illustrated as the United States said one of its warships had intercepted cruise missiles and drones launched from Yemen “potentially towards targets in Israel”.

Attacks against Israel have also been launched from Lebanon, where the Hezbollah group is backed by Iran, drawing retaliation from Tel Aviv.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister visited Tel Aviv – where he said he wanted Israel to win the war with Hamas – before heading to Saudi Arabia for talks with the crown prince.

The Prime Minister said: “We agreed on co-ordinated action to prevent further escalation in the region, provide vital humanitarian aid in Gaza and support stability, both now and in the long-term.”

Downing Street said the pair agreed that the “loss of innocent lives in Israel and Gaza over the last two weeks has been horrific” and “underscored the need to avoid any further escalation in the region”.

Mr Sunak “encouraged the crown prince to use Saudi’s leadership in the region to support stability, both now and in the long-term”, No 10 said.

In the first leg of his trip on Thursday, the Prime Minister had meetings with Israel’s prime minister Mr Netanyahu and president Isaac Herzog.

Mr Netanyahu told Mr Sunak that he hoped for the UK’s “continuous support” in his country’s “long war” as it fought back against Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly and unprecedented assault on Israel on October 7.

Mr Sunak, speaking at a joint press conference after discussions with his counterpart lasting about two hours, said he was “proud” to stand with Israel and that the UK Government “wants you to win”.

No 10 is yet to confirm whether Mr Sunak will visit another Middle East capital before wrapping up his two-day trip on Friday.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was also in the region, visiting Egypt, Qatar and Turkey with a mission to “secure the release of British hostages, stop the violence spreading to the region (and) ensure emergency aid can get into Gaza”.

The latest figures from No 10 confirmed that at least nine British nationals were killed in the Hamas raids on October 7.

A further seven British nationals are missing “some of whom are feared to be among the dead or kidnapped”, Downing Street said.

The PA news agency understands that one of the Britons was Yonatan Rapoport, who was killed when Hamas gunmen rampaged through a kibbutz.

Mr Rapoport, known as Yoni, was reportedly one of those murdered in the attack on Kibbutz Be’eri.

He had two children, Yosefi and Aluma, and, as a Manchester United fan, had planned to take his son to Old Trafford next month for his first game, the BBC reported.

The UK Government has not confirmed how many Britons are among the hostages held by Hamas, although at least two are known to be being kept captive, with Mr Sunak meeting with their families while in Tel Aviv.

Following international pressure, Israel has agreed to let aid flow into Gaza from Egypt.

It marks a potential break in a punishing and highly controversial siege on the territory after Israel’s retaliation on Hamas saw it block access for water, food, electricity and other essential supplies to the 25-mile strip, while also carrying out strikes.

The Prime Minister said the UK would seek to get “more support to people as quickly as we can” as he reiterated that Palestinians living under Hamas rule in Gaza were also victims.

But Israel has continued to pound locations across Gaza and is preparing to launch a ground invasion which could increase the bloodshed on both sides.