Burak Bir
19 December 2023•Update: 19 December 2023
LONDON
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday said he has been "consistent" in calling for "sustained humanitarian pauses" and a "sustainable cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip amid relentless Israeli attacks killing thousands of civilians.
Pressed by senior MPs about the government's policies on various issues in front of the Liaison Committee, Sunak reiterated his remarks that "too many civilians are dying" in Gaza but, he added that it is "different from saying humanitarian law has been broken."
If the Hamas group is "deliberately embedding itself inside civilian populations, they have to accept responsibility," Sunak asserted.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip from the air and land, imposed a siege, and mounted a ground offensive in retaliation for a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 19,667 Palestinians have since been killed and 52,586 injured in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
During an exchange about civilian deaths in the besieged enclave, Sunak said he thinks that's "genuinely an extraordinary question."
"We have repeatedly called on Israel to show restraint, to operate within international humanitarian law, to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians and crucially to allow for more aid to get into Gaza to actually help people," he added.
Recalling that the UK has tripled its aid into the region, Sunak stated that they continue to have dialogue with all partners about the future of Gaza.
"And that involves my conversations with the Palestinian Authority and others to make sure that we can provide a future for the Palestinian people where they can live with dignity, prosperity and security."
Last week, Sunak again refused to call for a cease-fire, rather said: "We have been consistent that we support what is a sustainable cease-fire, which means Hamas must stop launching rockets into Israel and release all the hostages."
The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 stands at 1,200, while over 130 hostages are still held by the Palestinian group in Gaza, according to official figures.
Rwanda plan
Quizzed by the committee on the cost of the controversial Rwanda plan that would allow the government to send asylum seekers to the East African country, he did not give an updated cost of the scheme which has reportedly cost more than £240 million ($306 million) so far.
He also did not set a date for when his priority "stop the boats" would be met.
Asked when will he stop the boats, Sunak said his government has made "considerable progress" on the issue, adding that the numbers this year are down by a third.
"We will keep going until we do ... this is not one of these things where there's a precise date," he replied when asked once again.
Last week, a majority of British lawmakers backed the government's new initiative that came after the UK signed a new deal with Rwanda.
The controversial bill aims to address the concerns of the UK Supreme Court, which ruled that the government's original plan to send asylum seekers to the East African country was unlawful.
The Rwanda plan had been one of the most controversial planks of the government's migration policy, as it sparked international criticism and mass protests across the UK.
Tackling small boat crossings by irregular migrants across the British Channel is among five priorities of the government, as more than 45,000 migrants arrived in the UK that way last year.
