Rishi Sunak tells Commons that UK agencies believe Gaza hospital blast was caused by militants’ rocket– UK politics live | UK news
Gaza hospital blast caused by militants’ rocket, UK agencies believe
Peter Walker
UK intelligence services have concluded that the deadly blast at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza was caused by a rocket fired by a Palestinian militant group rather than by an Israeli airstrike, Rishi Sunak has told MPs.
Briefing the Commons after his trip last week to Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the prime minister said the explosion was likely to have been caused by a missile or part of a missile launched within Gaza and towards Israel.
Sunak used this assessment to criticise some media outlets for initially reporting that the blast appeared to have been caused by Israel.
Also in the statement, Sunak stressed the need for a two-state solution, saying this was “essential” for lasting peace. He also said the UK would provide £20m for in aid to Gaza.
US intelligence has already said Washington believes the blast last Wednesday was most likely not due to an Israeli attack and instead appeared to be because of a failed rocked fired by the militant group Islamic Jihad.
The Hamas-ruled territory has said 471 people were killed. US intelligence estimates put the toll at between 100 and 300 people while saying this assessment could change.
Key events
Responding to Rishi Sunak’s statement, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons:
The brutal attack in Israel just over two weeks ago was the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust. Two weeks of grief for the innocent people who lost brothers, sisters, children, two weeks of torture for the families whose loved ones were taken hostage by Hamas.
Starmer said there was a “small glimmer of light” over the weekend with the release of two US hostages, adding:
But Hamas still holds hundreds more. Sons, daughters, mums, dads still missing, innocent people who could – if Hamas willed it – be released immediately.
But they remain hostage because Hamas wants the chaos of war, Hamas wants Jews to suffer, Hamas wants the Palestinian people to share in the pain because the Palestinian people are not their cause, peace is not their aim, the dignity of human life –Jew or Muslim – means absolutely nothing to them.
In light of their barbarism, Israel has the right to defend herself. Yes, to get their hostages home but also to defeat Hamas so nobody need suffer like this again.
And that we might once more see a road to a lasting peace, a Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel. This operation can and must be done within international law.
The UK will deploy RAF and Royal Navy assets to monitor the situation in Israel and Palestine, the prime minister said.
Rishi Sunak told the Commons:
We are all determined to prevent escalation, that is why I am deploying RAF and Royal Navy assets, monitoring threats to regional security and supporting humanitarian efforts.
The violence against Israel did not end on October 7, Rishi Sunak has said.
The prime minister told the Commons:
I travelled first to Israel. It is a nation in mourning. But it is also a nation under attack. The violence against Israel did not end on October 7.
Hundreds of rockets are launched at their towns and cities every day. And Hamas still holds around 200 hostages, including British citizens.
In Jerusalem, I met some of the relatives who are suffering unbearable torment. Their pain will stay with me for the rest of my days.
I’m doing everything in my power and working all our partners to get their loved ones home. So in my meetings with prime minister Netanyahu and president Herzog, I told them once again that we stand resolutely with Israel in defending itself against terror.
I stressed again the need to act in line with international humanitarian law and take every possible step to avoid harming civilians.
He added:
I recognise that the Palestinian people are suffering terribly. Over 4,000 Palestinians have been killed in this conflict.
They are also the victims of Hamas, who embed themselves in the civilian population.
Too many lives have already been lost, and the humanitarian crisis is growing.
I went to the region to address these issues directly.
The police must take “all necessary action to tackle extremism”, Rishi Sunak said after condemning the use of the word jihad at pro-Palestinian protests on the weekend.
The prime minister said:
We need to learn the lessons and ensure that in future there is no rush to judgment.
He added:
We have seen hate on our streets again this weekend. We all stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. That is the message I brought to President Abbas. But we will never tolerate antisemitism in our country.
Calls for jihad on our streets are not only a threat to the Jewish community but to our democratic values and we expect the police to take all necessary action to tackle extremism head on.
Gaza hospital blast caused by militants’ rocket, UK agencies believe
Peter Walker
UK intelligence services have concluded that the deadly blast at al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza was caused by a rocket fired by a Palestinian militant group rather than by an Israeli airstrike, Rishi Sunak has told MPs.
Briefing the Commons after his trip last week to Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the prime minister said the explosion was likely to have been caused by a missile or part of a missile launched within Gaza and towards Israel.
Sunak used this assessment to criticise some media outlets for initially reporting that the blast appeared to have been caused by Israel.
Also in the statement, Sunak stressed the need for a two-state solution, saying this was “essential” for lasting peace. He also said the UK would provide £20m for in aid to Gaza.
US intelligence has already said Washington believes the blast last Wednesday was most likely not due to an Israeli attack and instead appeared to be because of a failed rocked fired by the militant group Islamic Jihad.
The Hamas-ruled territory has said 471 people were killed. US intelligence estimates put the toll at between 100 and 300 people while saying this assessment could change.
Regarding the strike on the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza, the prime minister said “we have taken care to look at all the evidence currently available”.
Rishi Sunak said:
I can now share our assessment with the House.
On the basis of the deep knowledge and analysis of our intelligence and weapons experts, the British government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile or part of one that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel.
He said misreporting on the incident had a negative effect in the region, including on a vital US diplomatic effort and on tensions here.
We need to learn the lesson and ensure that in future there is no rush to judgement
Rishi Sunak said that growing attacks by Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border, rising tensions on the West Bank and missiles and drones launched from Yemen show that some are seeking escalation to the tension in Israel and Palestine.
He said:
We need to invest more deeply in regional stability and Palestinian state solution.
Last night, I spoke to the leaders of the United States, Germany, France Italy, and Canada … our support for a two state solution is highly valued across the region, but it can’t be a cliched talking point to roll out at times like this.
The truth is that in recent years, energy has moved into other avenues like the Abraham Accords and normalisation talks with Saudi Arabia.
We support those steps absolutely and believe that they can bolster wider efforts. But we must never lose sight of how essential the two-state solution is.
He added that “we will work together with our international partners to bring renewed energy and creativity to this effort”.
He said:
It will rely on establishing more effective governance for Palestinian territories in Gaza and the West Bank, it will also mean challenging actions that undercut legitimate aspirations for Palestinian statehood.
The UK will provide an additional £20m of humanitarian aid to civilians
in Gaza, Rishi Sunak said.
The prime minister said:
We’ve already committed £10m of extra support to help civilians in Gaza and Mr Speaker, I can announce today that we are going further.
We are providing an additional £20m of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, more than doubling our previous support to the Palestinian people.
Rishi Sunak said the aid that had been allowed into Gaza was not enough.
We must continue working together to get more humanitarian support into Gaza.
The whole house will welcome the limited opening of the Rafah crossing. It is important progress and testament to the power of diplomacy.
But it is not enough. We need a constant stream as a pouring in bringing the water food medicine and fuel that is so desperately needed. So we will keep up the diplomatic pressure.
The prime minister said the government was also hoping that the British nationals stuck in Gaza would be able to leave through the same route.
He said:
We’re also working intensively to ensure that British nationals trapped in Gaza are able to leave through the Rafah crossing when it properly reopens.
Rishi Sunak is making a statement in the house of commons about the situation in Israel and Palestine following his visit to the region.
He said he met with the leaders of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and the Palestinian authority last week to “renew a better vision of the future Hamas is trying to destroy”.
He said Israel is “a nation in mourning”.
He said:
In Jerusalem, I met some of the relatives who were suffering unbearable torment. That pain will stay with me for the rest of my days.
I’m doing everything in my power and working with all our partners to get their loved ones home.
He said he is calling for humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza:
I recognise that the Palestinian people are suffering terribly.
Over 4000 Palestinians have been killed in this conflict.
They are also the victims.
A new “zero-tolerance” action plan will crackdown on shoplifting and “get it back in its box”, policing minister Chris Philp has told Sky News.
The minister said it would also “target prolific offenders and go after them specifically” and also “go after the criminal gangs who often organise shoplifting”.
Philp said the national shoplifting action plan included permission to attend retail premises where someone had been apprehended or where an assault had taken place.
The plan also includes a “commitment to always follow up lines of enquiry where they exist” and to “run CCTV footage through the facial recognition database”.
The environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, said residents of flood-hit Retford, in Nottinghamshire, were asking “why stuff hasn’t happened” since the last major floods in 2007.
During a visit to the area she told Sky News:
In that time, between 2015 and 2021 we’ve invested £2.6bn in flood defences right across the country, that was over 300,000 homes. We’re part-way through a programme of spending a further £5.2bn over a six-year time period.
Coffey said she thought it was “important to come and see people whose lives have been disrupted”.
She added:
Now I’m conscious of that with my own constituency, and of course the people who have lost their life, and their friends and family will be very distressed too, but it’s about coming and seeing what practical things we can try and get done quickly to help these communities.
And that’s part of the action that I’ll be understanding and trying to take away today.
Summary
Here’s a roundup of the key developments from the day so far:
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The Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said he had a “really constructive meeting” with the home secretary, Suella Braverman, about the government’s position on the policing of pro-Palestine protests over the weekend. He said: “We’re accountable for the law. We can’t enforce taste or decency, but we can enforce the law.”
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Downing Street has indicated there are no plans to give police more powers to address chants deemed to be extremist, after “jihad” was shouted at a pro-Palestine rally. The chant was heard at the demonstration by the Hizb ut-Tahrir fundamentalist group, which was separate to the main pro-Palestine rally.
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The government is delaying the promised ban on no-fault evictions until after a change of the courts is achieved in the face of a Tory rebellion, provoking claims they are kicking the move into the “long grass”. The housing secretary, Michael Gove, has told Conservative MPs that the ban on section 21 evictions will not be enacted before a series of improvements are made in the legal system.
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Humza Yousaf visited Brechin, Angus, to assess the damage from Storm Babet. The Scottish first minister met and thanked emergency service, and search and rescue personnel who had been working since the storm hit. He told one resident it will be a “long road to recovery” from the flooding.
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Scotland’s justice secretary, Angela Constance, said the Scottish government has to have a “frank” conversation with vulnerable communities about how Scotland prepares for events such as Storm Babet.
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Keir Starmer has said he had “productive” talks during a visit to Tata Steel’s giant Port Talbot plant in south Wales. The Labour leader told broadcasters: “We have ambitious plans for the steel industry. We see this as the future, not the past. That requires strategic thinking about our economy. We want to go to clean power, that will bring down energy costs.”
Kiran Stacey
Government officials are using artificial intelligence (AI) and complex algorithms to help decide everything from who gets benefits to who should have their marriage licence approved, according to a Guardian investigation.
The findings shed light on the haphazard and often uncontrolled way that cutting-edge technology is being used across Whitehall.
Civil servants in at least eight Whitehall departments and a handful of police forces are using AI in a range of areas, but especially when it comes to helping them make decisions over welfare, immigration and criminal justice, the investigation shows.
The Guardian has uncovered evidence that some of the tools being used have the potential to produce discriminatory results, such as:
Read the full story here:
The former director of public prosecutions Lord Macdonald has said the home secretary needed to be a “bit careful” in her interventions on policing.
It comes as Suella Braverman met Sir Mark Rowley, the Met police commissioner, following a pro-Palestinian rally over the weekend.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme, the crossbench peer said:
This present home secretary is certainly making a habit of expressing her views about how policing ought to be conducted.
The rule is that the police are operationally independent, but of course the home secretary is entitled to express her view about what the correct objectives are and the sorts of things that police should be focusing on.
I think she has to be very, very careful not to put herself, insinuate herself, into the position of police officers on the ground who are having to make very difficult and sensitive decisions, in situations where there are perhaps 100,000 people marching through London, feelings are running quite high.
I don’t think it’s right for the home secretary to be assuming the power herself to dictate what those decisions should be. I imagine she is not doing that, I imagine she is simply expressing a view. But it is a view coming from the Home Secretary and that can have a power of its own.
I think she should be a bit careful and give the police, frankly, some space.
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