Britain鈥檚 William, Prince of Wales, listens as he visits the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Britain, February 20, 2024. Kin Cheung/Pool via REUTERS
LONDON 鈥� Britain鈥檚 Prince William called on Tuesday for an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, saying the 鈥渟heer scale of human suffering鈥� had brought home the need for peace in an enclave 鈥渨here too many have been killed.鈥�
In an unusually direct intervention for a member of the royal family, William, the heir to the British throne, said it was critical that aid got through to those sheltering in Gaza, and that Hamas must release hostages.
鈥淚 remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack (on Israel) on 7 October. Too many have been killed,鈥� William said in a statement.
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In 2018, William became the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel and occupied Palestinian territory, and since then, he has followed the region closely, his office said.
In response to Prince William, Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy said: 鈥淚sraelis of course want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible, and that will be possible once the 134 hostages are released, and once the Hamas terror army threatening to repeat the October 7 atrocities is dismantled.鈥�
Kensington Palace added that Britain鈥檚 Foreign Office had been briefed about William鈥檚 statement before he made it.
鈥淪ometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home,鈥� he said.
The 41-year-old prince visited the British Red Cross headquarters in London on Tuesday to hear about their work supporting people affected by war in the Middle East.
鈥淚, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It鈥檚 critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released.鈥�
In a further comment, Israel鈥檚 Levy said: 鈥淲e appreciate the Prince of Wales鈥� call for Hamas to free the hostages.
鈥淲e also recall with gratitude his statement from October 11 condemning Hamas鈥� terror attacks and reaffirming Israel鈥檚 right of self-defense against them.鈥�
Next week William is due to visit a synagogue where he will hear from young people who are involved in tackling hatred and antisemitism. Last year was the worst on record for cases of antisemitism in Britain, according to a Jewish advisory body.
With his father King Charles currently absent from official public duties as he undergoes treatment for cancer, William has been expected to take on more high-profile engagements.
In general, British royals avoided making statements on political issues, but before his father became king, he spoke out on matters close to his heart.
READ: Forever war? Israel risks a long, bloody insurgency in Gaza
Charles has called the Hamas attacks in southern Israel 鈥渂arbaric acts of terrorism鈥�, and also appealed for greater religious tolerance at a time of 鈥渋nternational turmoil鈥�.
Global calls for an end to the fighting in Gaza have mounted in recent weeks, as Israel prepares to expand its ground assault to the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have sought shelter.
More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to local health authorities, since Israel invaded the enclave following the Hamas attack in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 253 hostages seized.