Britain\'s Sunak visits Israel, slams horrific attacks on the country

JERUSALEM: Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday that Israel has suffered an "unspeakable horrific act of terrorism" as he became the latest western leader to carry out a solidarity visit.

 "I want you to know that the United Kingdom and I stand with you," Sunak said on his arrival for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.

Sunak said on X, the former Twitter, that Israel was "a nation in grief" and pledged his support "against the evil that is terrorism".

He follows US President Joe Biden who was in Israel on Wednesday and Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this week. Others are expected.

Before leaving, Sunak said he would be concentrating on efforts to head off a wider conflict in the region after the October 7 attacks by Hamas which left about 1,400 people dead in Israel.

He is also expected to press the case for increased humanitarian aid to be let into Gaza, where the Hamas-controlled health ministry says around 3,500 people have died in Israeli air raids since the attacks.

Britain has increased its Palestinian aid package.

Israel has said it will allow food water and medicine into the beleaguered territory from Egypt.

In parallel, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is to visit Egypt, Turkey and Qatar "in the coming days", according to the government.