London
Prince William supported this Tuesday (20) the call for Israel to end the war in the Gaza Strip “as quickly as possible”. According to the Briton, the first heir to the throne of the United Kingdom, “many people” were killed in the conflict that lasted more than four months.
“I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th. A lot of people were killed,” he said. “Like many others, I would like the fighting to end as quickly as possible. There is an urgent need to increase humanitarian support to Gaza. It is vital that help arrives and the hostages are released.”
This is a rare political demonstration by the British royal family. Prince William made the comments on the same day he visited charities in London that his office said work to alleviate the “human suffering” caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
In 2018, William became the first member of the British royal family to pay an official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Next week he will visit a synagogue to speak to young people who are committed to fighting hatred and antiSemitism.
With his father, King Charles, currently absent from official public duties while undergoing cancer treatment, William is expected to take on more royal engagements in the coming months.
Calls for an end to the fighting in Gaza have grown louder around the world in recent weeks as Israel prepares to expand its ground assault on the southern city of Rafah, which is currently home to about half of Gaza's 2.4 million residents.
“Sometimes it is only when we are confronted with the scale of human suffering that we realize the importance of lasting peace,” William said.
The war in Gaza began on October 7 when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people. According to Israeli information, the members of the faction also took around 250 hostages. According to health authorities in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military response has since led to the deaths of more than 29,000 Palestinians.