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UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps will use a visit to Israel to call for increased humanitarian aid to Gaza, while stepping up military commitments to the region.
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According to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence, Shapps will use the visit to assess how the United Kingdom can better “support” the Palestinian Authority and mitigate the risk of further escalation.
It is expected to include increased medical and humanitarian aid to Gaza and opening new options for delivery.
On the visit, the UK government also confirmed Shapps’ meeting with the Interior Minister of the Palestinian Authority, General Ziad Hab al-Reeh, to discuss improving security for Palestinians living in the West Bank.
He is also expected to meet with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to discuss Israel’s “next steps” in the conflict.
The UK Defence Secretary is also expected to assess the progress in the ongoing hostage situation.
Shapps used the opportunity to continue extending the UK government’s support for Israeli self-defence, provided it remains in the bounds of international law.
“My visit this week is an important opportunity to discuss efforts to accelerate the delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance into Gaza and efforts to secure the release of all remaining hostages,” Shapps outlined.
“We are working to find the best way to get aid and support to those in desperate need in the quickest and most direct route. That includes options by land, sea, and air.”
“We have deployed an extra 1,000 military personnel in the Middle East and our forces are there to support the humanitarian aid effort and help in stabilising the area.
“The events of 7 October horrified the world and I personally want to offer my support and condolences to Israel and its people.
“We fully support Israel’s right to defend itself, but it is important their fight against Hamas terrorists remains within international law.”
The United Kingdom has deployed an additional 1,000 service personnel to the region, including the deployment of a Royal Navy task group and unarmed surveillance flights in Israel and Palestine.
To date, the UK government has delivered 74 tonnes of aid in four Royal Air Force Flights via a land corridor from Egypt.
The visit comes as Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong reflected the need for a political solution to restore peace to Gaza, as Israel faces “strategic defeat” through a mounting civilian death toll.
Minister Wong made the comments in Canberra earlier this week following a widely publicised assessment by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III that Israel is risking “strategic defeat” in its war with Hamas if it does not avoid a rising civilian death toll.
“I have personally pushed Israeli leaders to avoid civilian casualties, and to shun irresponsible rhetoric, and to prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank,” the US Secretary of Defense said during the Reagan National Defense Forum in California.
“I learned a thing or two about urban warfare from my time fighting in Iraq. Like Hamas, ISIS was deeply embedded in urban areas. And the international coalition against ISIS worked hard to protect civilians and create humanitarian corridors.
“The lesson is not that you can win in urban warfare by protecting civilians. The lesson is that you can only win in urban warfare by protecting civilians.
“In this kind of a fight, the centre of gravity is the civilian population. And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.”
Foreign Minister Wong echoed those sentiments during a media conference earlier this week and called for a political process towards a two‑state solution as the only way to secure security and peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
“I thought it was notable that Secretary Austin, with his experience of urban warfare and his statements, if you drive civilians into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat. It was an important statement, notable statement,” she said.
“We recognise Israel’s right to defend itself and we stress that the way it does so matters. Israel must respect international humanitarian law and it must conduct its military operations lawfully. And we are very concerned about the scale of civilian death that we are all seeing, including children.”
