Jerusalem, Nov 23 (EFE).- New British Foreign Secretary David Cameron arrived in Israel Thursday on a surprise visit that included a tour of the Kibbutz Beeri, one of the communities near the Gaza Strip attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Cameron, who has also served as the prime minister between 2010 and 2016, was along with his Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen.
“I wanted to come here myself to see the horrific nature of the attacks that you suffered on October 7 — and they are absolutely horrific,” Cameron said, according to local media reports.
During this visit, Cameron, who was appointed foreign secretary last week, is expected to meet with leaders from both Israel and Palestine, according to a statement from his office.
Cameron’s visit comes soon after an agreement between Israel and Hamas for a temporary truce in the Gaza conflict that will allow for the exchange of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners.
The truce was expected to begin Thursday, but may be postponed by a day, according to Israeli officials.
Cohen thanked the British foreign secretary for his support for the Israeli cause and its commitment to the elimination of Hamas and the release of all hostages, according to a statement from the ministry.
He added that they would continue to fight for the dismantling of Hamas, likening it to the Islamic State terror group, and securing the release of all the hostages.
On Oct. 7, Hamas militants carried out an attack on Israeli soil, killing some 1,200 people and taking over 240 hostages, which led to intense counterattack from the Israeli forces.
Before leaving for Israel, Cameron spoke in London Wednesday with leaders of Arab and Islamic countries about how to use the agreement reached between Israel and Hamas for larger peace and stability in the region.
The talks focused on securing the release of all hostages, increasing the amount of aid to Gaza and reaching a long-term political solution to the conflict, said the statement from the British foreign secretary’s office. EFE
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