Sunak raises concerns about Gaza death toll as senior Tories push for ceasefire

The Prime Minister said the UK wanted a ‘sustainable ceasefire’.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to RAF Lossiemouth military base in Moray, Scotland. He is facing calls from senior Tories to back an immediate ceasefire in Gaza (Jeff J Mitchell/PA) (PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak faced calls from senior Tories to back an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war as he acknowledged too many innocent lives had already been lost.

A group of Conservative MPs, including three former Cabinet ministers, have written to Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron saying the case for an immediate ceasefire is “unanswerable”.

The Prime Minister said the UK wanted a “sustainable ceasefire”, with the release of hostages and access for much-needed humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, but that was based on Israel succeeding in removing Hamas.

“Israel obviously has a right to defend itself against what was an appalling terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas, but it must do that in accordance with humanitarian law,” the Prime Minister said.

“It’s clear that too many civilian lives have been lost and nobody wants to see this conflict go on a day longer than it has to.”

Downing Street said Israel and the UK had been clear that Hamas “has no future in Gaza” given the horrific events of October 7.

But the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) should do more to ensure its campaign is targeted on Hamas leaders and operatives.

“But of course, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that Hamas deliberately puts Palestinian civilians at risk by embedding themselves in the civilian population and, of course, seizing dozens of hostages which they could release at any point.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration is facing mounting international concern over the scale of civilian casualties.

The US, Israel’s main ally, has also expressed growing unease about the conduct of the war.

In a sign of the mounting concern in the Tory ranks, former Cabinet minister Kit Malthouse and nine colleagues wrote to Lord Cameron in protest at the UK Government’s stance.

(Mr Netanyahu's) methods will not solve this problem. In fact, I believe his tactics will fuel the conflict for another 50 years

Former defence secretary Ben Wallace

They said they were “dismayed” at the UK abstaining on a United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire.

“The case for a ceasefire seems to us to be unanswerable with many thousands of civilians dead and injured and close to two million forcibly displaced,” they said.

The group, which also includes former Cabinet ministers David Jones and George Eustice, said they had “privately expressed our anguish and dismay” at the Government’s approach.

“We said we did not believe it was in the United Kingdom’s or Israel’s best long-term interests for them to flatten Gaza and massacre innocent Palestinians in pursuit of Hamas, not that it was a viable military solution to dealing with such a terrorist organisation and to securing the urgent return of Israeli hostages.”

They said the Israeli actions were “neither proportionate nor targeted” and warned that the “brutalization of the civilian Palestinian population is sure to lead to more extremism in the future”.

Writing in the Telegraph, former defence secretary Ben Wallace warned Mr Netanyahu’s actions in response to the Hamas attack were “radicalising Muslim youth across the globe”.

“Netanyahu’s mistake was to miss the attack in the first place,” Mr Wallace said.

“But if he thinks a killing rage will rectify matters, then he is very wrong. His methods will not solve this problem. In fact, I believe his tactics will fuel the conflict for another 50 years.”

He said he was not “calling for a ceasefire with Hamas”, but instead that Israel “needs to stop this crude and indiscriminate method of attack”.

Alicia Kearns, Tory chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said she believed Israel had broken international humanitarian law and lost its moral authority.

She said a truce that could be turned into a lasting ceasefire should be pursued, rather than a focus on the eradication of Hamas.

She told BBC Radio 4’s World At One: “Hamas is an ideology which recruits into its membership. Bombs don’t obliterate an ideology and neither can a stable state be constructed from oblivion.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “We need to get to a sustainable ceasefire as quickly as possible.

“And I think the route to that is to get back to where we were just two weeks ago, where hostilities ceased, there’s an opening that allows the remaining hostages to be freed, which they must be straight away, allows humanitarian aid to get in – desperately needed – but, also, is a foot in the door to a process, it will have to be a political process, to a two-stage solution which, in the end, is the only way that this is going to be resolved.”

The Israeli offensive, triggered by the unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, has flattened much of northern Gaza and driven 85% of the territory’s population of 2.3 million from their homes.

Aid groups have warned of a spiralling humanitarian crisis as the bombardment continues.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran has spoken about her growing fears for her relatives, who are among a group of Christians who have sought shelter in a church compound in Gaza City.

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem over the weekend said two Christian women in the Holy Family Church had been killed by Israeli sniper fire “in cold blood” and seven others were wounded, in an incident condemned by church leaders.

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said it was a “seemingly deliberate and callous killing by IDF soldiers of innocent civilians”.

Ms Moran said there were only civilians in the church.

“I plea to the Israeli Government to leave them alone,” she said.

“They haven’t hurt anybody. I’m not sure they’re going to survive the week.”