Asking Israel to reach a ceasefire with Hamas is “untenable”, the UK’s defence secretary has said, as the number of MPs calling for a cessation of hostilities grows.
Grant Shapps said Israel has “a right” to “go after” Hamas after its gunmen killed more than 1,400 Israelis on 7 October and abducted over 220 other people who are now being held hostage in Gaza.
Mr Shapps, who recently replaced Ben Wallace as defence secretary, took the same position as Rishi Sunak who said during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that the “first and most important principle is that Israel has the right to defend itself under law”.
However, Mr Sunak agreed that humanitarian aid had to get to civilians in Gaza and confirmed an RAF plane was on its way to the region with 21 tonnes of supplies, including medical equipment and water filters.
Image: An Israeli tank and military vehicles are seen near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel
The Hamas-run health ministry has said at least 6,546 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli retaliatory strikes on Gaza.
Mr Shapps told the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that he agreed it was “very important that we can deliver that aid”.
More on Grant Shapps
Related Topics:
“The difference is we understand that Israel was attacked in a very brutal way by Hamas terrorists, butchering men, women and children ISIS-style,” he said.
“I think to then ask Israel not to respond – or what you would describe as a ceasefire – I think is untenable.
Advertisement
“They have a right to go after those terrorists but it is the international humanitarian situation that a pause could assist with.”
Mr Shapps went on to argue that if there had been a terrorist attack in the UK on the same scale that Israel had endured, “no one would expect us not to go after the perpetrators”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:03
Reality of Palestinians in Gaza City
“To call for a ceasefire is to essentially say to Israel, having gone through that absolutely horrific terrorist attack just over two weeks ago, don’t go after Hamas – and I don’t think anyone thinks that would be right,” he said.
“And so we can understand and appreciate under international law that Israel has the absolute right to do that.
“We also believe that it needs to be done in a proportionate way with international human rights law in place and that is very clear.”
In the past few days, a number of MPs from across the political divide have called for a ceasefire, arguing that there was a “human responsibility” to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip who have had their water and power limited by Israel following the 7 October attack.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
6:24
Grandmother on losing her grandson
Speaking at this week’s PMQs, the deputy leader of the SNP, Mhairi Black, pointed to warnings from the United Nations that some hospitals in Gaza City had less than 20 hours of fuel left and their electricity “runs out tonight”.
She was joined by the leader of Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party, Colum Eastwood, who asked: “As 1,400 Israelis and almost 6,000 Palestinians lay dying and dead, when will the prime minister say enough is enough? When will he call for a ceasefire?”
Labour shadow minister for equalities Yasmin Qureshi also echoed the calls for a truce and read out an email from one of her constituents with relatives in Gaza, which read: “My heart can’t handle this. We are being massacred, relentlessly bombed, homes are being destroyed [and there is] no water, no food, no electricity.”
In response to the calls from MPs, Mr Sunak urged people to remember that Israel had suffered “a shockinglybrutal terrorist attack”.
“Hamas is responsible for this conflict and Israel has the right to protect itself in line with international law as the UN charter makes clear.”
The Labour Party has also resisted calls for a ceasefire but has signalled its support for a humanitarian pause in order to protect civilians.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
The stance is the same as that adopted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that a humanitarian pause meant Israel “must take all possible precautions to avoid harm to civilians.
“It means food, water, medicine, and other essential humanitarian assistance must be able to flow into Gaza and to the people who need them.”
Asked whether he believed a ground invasion would fall under Israel’s right to defend itself, Mr Shapps told Ridge: “As long as the people that they are going after are the Hamas terrorists, yes.
“The problem we have with Hamas is not just that they butchered and killed and raped those Israelis. It’s that they also use their own Palestinian population – who are no friends of Hamas – as human shields, and they hide themselves amongst them.
“And so we understand and appreciate that it’s a very difficult position for Israel to be in.”
Former Conservative chairman and friend of Boris Johnson – Sir Jake Berry – is defecting to Reform UK, causing more problems for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.
On today’s episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss if his defection will divide parts of Reform policy.
Elsewhere, the Anglo-French summit gets under way, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to announce a migration deal with French President Emmanuel Macron to deter small boat crossings.
Plus, chatter around Whitehall that No10 are considering a pre-summer reshuffle, but will it have any value?
The trial is part of Project Acacia, an initiative from the RBA exploring how digital money and tokenization could support financial markets in Australia.
Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed the need for a “new deterrent” to deter small boats crossings in the Channel, Downing Street has said.
The prime minister met Mr Macron this afternoon as part of the French president’s state visit to the UK, which began on Tuesday.
High up the agenda for the two leaders is the need to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel, which Mr Macron said yesterday was a “burden” for both the UK and France.
The small boats crisis is a pressing issue for the prime minister, given that more than 20,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year – a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024.
Sir Keir is hoping he can reach a deal for a one-in one-out return treaty with France, ahead of the UK-France summit on Thursday, which will involve ministerial teams from both nations.
The deal would see those crossing the Channel illegally sent back to France in exchange for Britain taking in any asylum seeker with a family connection in the UK.
More on Emmanuel Macron
Related Topics:
However, it is understood the deal is still in the balance, with some EU countries unhappy about France and the UK agreeing on a bilateral deal.
French newspaper Le Monde reports that up to 50 small boat migrants could be sent back to France each week, starting from August, as part of an agreement between Sir Keir and Mr Macron.
A statement from Downing Street said: “The prime minister met the French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street this afternoon.
“They reflected on the state visit of the president so far, agreeing that it had been an important representation of the deep ties between our two countries.
“Moving on to discuss joint working, they shared their desire to deepen our partnership further – from joint leadership in support of Ukraine to strengthening our defence collaboration and increasing bilateral trade and investment.”
It added: “The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions.
“The prime minister spoke of his government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.
“The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, seized on the statement to criticise Labour for scrapping the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan, which the Tories claim would have sent asylum seekers “entering the UK illegally” to Rwanda.
He said in an online post: “We had a deterrent ready to go, where every single illegal immigrant arriving over the Channel would be sent to Rwanda.
“But Starmer cancelled this before it had a chance to start.
“Now, a year later, he’s realised he made a massive mistake. That’s why numbers have surged and this year so far has been the worst in history for illegal channel crossings.
“Starmer is weak and incompetent and he’s lost control of our borders.”