Son of Israeli minister killed in Gaza, IDF announces
Mia Morrison British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has told CNN that Israel should “behave differently” in the south of Gaza than it has in the north, as its military campaign in the embattled enclave spreads.
Cameron, a former British Prime Minister, reiterated British support for Israel in the wake of Hamas’ October 7 attacks, but urged the country to abide by international law in its response.
“We have to give Israel that basic support of saying, ‘You are right to try to get rid of Hamas’ leadership and its armed personnel’,” Cameron told CNN during a trip to Washington, D.C.
He resisted calls for an immediate ceasefire, saying: “If we leave Hamas in charge of even a part of Gaza, there will never be a two-state solution because you can’t expect Israel to live next to a group of people that want to do October 7 all over again.”
But Cameron supported remarks by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who told CNN on Wednesday that Israel is taking some “important steps” to better protect civilians during its offensive in southern Gaza.
“I said to them very clearly when I was there just a week ago, we cannot have a repeat of what happened in the north in the south in terms of harm being done to civilians,” Blinken said.
A humanitarian crisis has unfolded in Gaza, where Israeli air and ground assaults have left Palestinians displaced and in dire need of food, supplies and medical care.
Cameron said that Blinken, whom he will meet on Thursday, made “a series of points about how Israel is trying to behave differently in the south of Gaza to the north of Gaza, and I think that is right, and we should continue to make those points to them.”
“Ultimately the long-term security of Israel does depend not only on their own armed strength and fortitude, but also on having Palestinians able to live in peace and security as well,” Cameron said.
More than 16,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since October 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah, which compiles its reports with data from hospitals in Hamas-run Gaza.