It is now nearly a month since terrorist group Hamas breached Israel's borders, conducting a campaign of violence, rape and murder against Israeli civilians. And what has become all too clear is that those innocent civilians – including woman, the elderly and even small babies - were deliberately targeted by Hamas terrorists.
In the days since, Hamas has continued to send thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel, with Israel retaliating in defence. Thousands are now dead on both sides, and social media has been full of the heart-breaking images of the consequences of Hamas’ terrorist actions and that group’s utter disregard for both Israeli and Palestinian lives.
The fear of escalating casualties looms large, and Israel has already launched their ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza. As the Prime Minister has made clear, Israel has the right to defend its citizens from attack, but that this must be conducted in line with international humanitarian law.
And here at home, Rishi Sunak has been clear that the UK Government will “ensure hate crimes and glorification of terror will be met with full force of the law". It is shocking that this even needs stating. But remarkably, only days after hundreds of Israelis were murdered, and while hundreds more men, women and children are still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, some people in this country - and others - took to the streets, not to condemn Hamas, nor to stand in solidarity with the Israeli victims of Hamas terror, but to show their opposition to Israel.
British lives have been lost. And British citizens are still held hostage by Hamas. But some in this country have chosen, not only to fail to condemn that terrorist group, but to try and justify their actions. That is shameful.
This crisis will likely worsen over the next few weeks, and tensions will continue to grow. That is why strong diplomacy is so important, and why the UK Government continues to meet with leaders in the region. Rishi Sunak has also spoken with Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, announcing further humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians.
We can only hope that Hamas will be defeated swiftly. That its leaders, hiding in safety in Qatar, and its sponsors, believed to be in Tehran, will suffer a significant blow in their efforts to destabilise the Middle East and damage the cause of peace. That they will fail in their stated objective of wiping Israel off the map.
Of course, it won’t be the leaders of Hamas who suffer. It will be innocent Israelis and Palestinians. Both of whom are the victims of Hamas terror.
