UK prime minister visits Israel in its ‘darkest hour’

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited Israel on Thursday in what he called the nation’s “darkest hour” amid its war with the militant group Hamas in Gaza.

“You describe this as Israel’s darkest hour,” Sunak said, addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding “I’m proud to stand here with you in Israel’s darkest hour as your friend.”

“We will stand with you in solidarity,” he continued. “We will stand with your people, and we also want you to win.”

Sunak said the United Kingdom is working alongside the Israeli government to help secure the release of British nationals who are among the more than 200 people believed to be held hostage by Hamas. 

“Now, I know that you are taking every precaution to avoid harming civilians in direct contrast to the terrorists of Hamas, which seek to put civilians in harm’s way,” he said. “But I also want to thank you for the support that your government has given to the families of British nationals caught up in this horror, including your efforts to release the hostages to secure their release. 

“And I know that we will continue to cooperate particularly with regard to British nationals that are involved.”

Most of the hostages were taken by the militant group during the Oct. 7 surprise invasion of Israel.

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the fighting so far, with most of the deaths coming as a result of the initial attack by Hamas — which the U.S. has labeled as a terrorist group. This prompted Israel to declare war on Hamas.

Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry has said that 3,478 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly 12,500 others have been wounded.

Sunak’s visit to Israel comes on the heels of President Biden’s, who traveled to the region to meet with Netanyahu on Wednesday to demonstrate U.S. support for the Middle Eastern nation.

Both leaders condemned the Tuesday bombing of a Gaza hospital — which killed more than 400 citizens, according to Gaza health officials — and urged for the targeting of civilians to end. 

Sunak spoke of the hospital blast, saying the scenes have “shocked all of us” and that they “mourn the loss of every civilian life.”