Prince William says 'too many have been killed' in Gaza conflict

KIN CHEUNG/ POOL/ AFP

Prince William called on Tuesday for an end to the fighting in Gaza, saying too many people had been killed, in an usually direct intervention for a member of the British royal family.

William, the 41-year-old heir to the throne, made the statement on the day he visited London-based aid charities working in the region, which his office said was aimed at recognising the human suffering caused by the Middle East conflict.

The Prince of Wales, who in 2018 became the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, will next week visit a synagogue to hear from young people who are involved in tackling hatred and antisemitism as part of his engagement schedule.

"I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible. There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in and the hostages are released," said William.

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 avoid making statements on political issues, but before his father became king, he spoke out on matters close to his heart.

Global calls for an end to the fighting in Gaza have mounted in recent weeks, as Israel prepares to expand its ground assault in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have sought shelter.

"Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home," William said.

The war in Gaza started on October 7 when Hamas fighters burst into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then the Israeli military response has resulted in the deaths of more than 29,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities.

More from International News

  • Russia and Ukraine complete largest prisoner swap

    Russia and Ukraine completed the exchange of 1,000 prisoners each on Sunday, the Russian Defence Ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, in the largest such swap since the war began three years ago.

  • North Korea detains officials over warship accident

    North Korea has detained shipyard officials responsible for a recent major accident during the launch of a new warship, state media said on Sunday.

  • At least 13 killed in Russian air attack on Ukraine

    Russian forces launched a barrage of 367 drones and missiles at Ukrainian cities overnight, including the capital Kyiv, in the largest aerial attack of the war so far, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more, officials said.

  • Russia, Ukraine swap 307 soldiers on second day of POW exchange

    Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 307 of their service personnel on Saturday on the second day of a prisoner exchange that, when completed, is set to be the largest such swap in the three-year war between the two countries. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested the prisoner swap - which should see 1,000 prisoners released on each side over three days - could herald a new phase in stop-start efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv. Saturday's swap was announced by Russia's defence ministry, and separately by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a post on social

  • Police probe arson attack in France power outage

    French police were investigating a possible arson attack as being the main cause for a power outage which hit the Alpes-Maritimes region in southern France on Saturday, including Cannes which is hosting its world-famous annual film festival.

News