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by Ben Cohen
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak addresses the House of Commons on the escalating war in Gaza. Photo: Reuters/Maria Unger
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak revealed on Monday that his country’s intelligence services had concluded that the explosion last week near the Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City was caused by an errant missile fired by terrorists, and not an Israeli air strike.
“The UK government judges that the explosion was likely caused by a missile or part of one that was launched from within Gaza towards Israel,” Sunak told a session of the House of Commons.
The assessment concurs with similar conclusions drawn by Israel and the US that an air strike was not the cause of the blast.
In the initial rush to judgement, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza falsely claimed that a direct Israeli strike on the hospital had killed more than 500 sheltering Palestinians. The fabrication even resulted in Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas canceling his meeting last week with visiting US President Joe Biden, as furious protests erupted across the Arab world.
Sunak underlined that the false reporting of the incident had worsened the situation on the ground and had negative domestic repercussions in the UK, where, as a result of the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in southern Israel, antisemitic incidents have risen by over 1,000 percent compared with the same period last year.
There had been a “negative effect in the region, including on a vital US diplomatic effort and on tensions here at home,” Sunak told the assembled MPs.
“We need to learn the lessons and ensure in the future there is no rush to judgement,” the Conservative Party leader declared.
Sunak insisted that “no scenario” was feasible that involved Hamas remaining in “control of Gaza or any part of the Palestinian territories.”
At the same time, he urged the international community “to invest more deeply in regional stability and in the two-state solution” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He confirmed that the UK had agreed to release an extra $25 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza, describing its Palestinian residents as “victims of Hamas.”
The debate also heard from Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, who noted that the “brutal attack in Israel was the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust,” citing two weeks of “grief” and “torture.”
“We stand with Israel and its right to defend itself, for international law, and humanitarian support for the Palestinians because we stand for a political path to a two-state solution and a better future,” Starmer added.
