Israel must defend itself against such hatred – but not at any cost

Editorial: Rishi Sunak would be wise to at least consider a proposal by Alicia Kearns, Conservative chair of the Commons foreign affairs select committee, for the UK to appoint an envoy on the Middle East peace process

Events on the ground will inevitably get worse before they get better (Reuters)

The terrifying incursion by the Islamist Hamas group into southern Israel on a holy day was no spontaneous act, but one that was well planned and probably carried out with outside help.

The seriousness of the latest crisis in the Middle East cannot be overstated; a world that has taken its eye off the Israel-Palestine conflict against the backdrop of war in Ukraine, an aggressive China, the climate emergency and mass migration, must now wake up and pay attention. The conflict is not just back in the headlines, but must inevitably be at the top of the international agenda for some time to come.

Israeli media said more than 600 people had been killed and at least 2,000 wounded in Saturday’s attack, and that Hamas fighters had taken an estimated 100 captured civilians and soldiers into Gaza.