Hamas wants to spark war across Middle East, James Cleverly warns Israel

Foreign secretary says UK expects Israel to act with restraint

Hamas wants to spark a wider “war between the Muslim world and the wider world”, the UK’s foreign secretary has said, as he urged Israel to show restraint in Gaza.

Speaking on Sunday morning, James Cleverly said the UK did not give ”carte blanche” to its allies but that he trusted that the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) would act with “restraint and discipline”.

The IDF has said it is preparing to “expand the offensive” on the Palestinian territory with a “joint and coordinated attack from the air, sea and land".

Israel launched the operation in response to the attack by Hamas fighters last week that claimed 1,300 lives.

But human rights observers have warned that Israel may be committing war crimes, while officials in Gaza say the IDF bombardment of the territory has killed some 2,300 people and wounded nearly 10,000.

Asked on Sunday morning whether there were limits to the UK’s strong support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza, Mr Cleverly told Sky News: “Of course, all support internationally is contingent on the behaviour of the partner country, and no country, including the UK, would give carte blanche to any other nation. That is a universal truth, not specifically about Israel.

“But I have received regular commitments from the Israeli leadership, both military and civilian, that they are conscious that the Palestinian people themselves are being used by Hamas ... what we want to see is both Palestinians and Israelis safe and secure, not living under the yoke of terrorism.”

Asked about claims by human rights observers that Israeli forces had already used banned white phosphorus in Gaza, Mr Cleverly said many accusations against the country’s government were “completely baseless”.

“What we have seen over and over again is accusations directed at Israel which have proven to be completely baseless,” the foreign secretary said.

“So any decisions that I make or the UK government makes will be based on accurate assessment rather than social media speculation.”

But he told the broadcaster that “friends speak honestly with friends”, adding: “Whenever I have spoken to them I have reinforced the UK’s position about the preservation of life, [and] the avoidance of civilian casualties.

“I have said it’s in Israel’s interest to avoid civilian casualties and Palestinian casualties because Hamas clearly wants to turn this into a wider Arab-Israeli war or indeed a war between the Muslim world and the wider world. And none of us, including Israel, want that to be the case, and so that’s why we do give that strong advice from a position of friendship.”

Mr Cleverly added: “I’ve said that restraint, discipline – these are the hallmarks of the Israel Defence Force that I want to see and indeed those are the hallmarks of a high-functioning military organisation, which the IDF is, in stark contrast to the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas.”