- Prime Minister sends border force to Egypt to evacuate Britons trapped in Gaza war zone
- Around 200 Britons contacted the Foreign Office for help before the invasion.
Rishi Sunak sent Border Force teams to Egypt to help evacuate Britons still trapped in Gaza.
The Prime Minister is also pushing for a pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas to allow aid to reach the besieged Palestinians.
Around 200 British citizens have contacted the Foreign Office seeking help ahead of Israel’s expected invasion of Gaza, Sunak said.
The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza is the only border point in the territory that is not controlled by Israel.
Israel has agreed to allow aid to pass through the crossing, but it remains closed to people.
Rishi Sunak (pictured) sent Border Force teams to Egypt to help evacuate Britons still trapped in Gaza.
Palestinians recover the body of a person from the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli bombardment, in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on October 26.
Gazans gather after Israeli airstrike in region
Cairo has reportedly blamed Israeli attacks around Rafah for the border point not being open to foreign nationals.
Airstrikes have devastated parts of Gaza and the United Nations has warned that the enclave is close to running out of fuel. Sunak yesterday repeated calls for temporary breaks or “targeted pauses” in the violence that could allow the release of British citizens and hostages.
Fewer than five Britons are believed to be among the hostages and officials fear some of those missing may have been murdered.
But many more are trapped in Gaza as Israel continues to carry out airstrikes and strikes in its fight against Hamas. Sunak told a press conference in London: ‘In terms of evacuating citizens from Gaza, it is a complex situation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in contact with about 200 people. We have been for a while and obviously that has been a feature of all my engagement in the region and with the leaders, particularly in Egypt and Israel. “We are very interested in being able to get them out and bring them home.”
The Prime Minister said the Government had “deployed Border Force teams to Egypt so that if there is a possibility of our citizens crossing the Rafah crossing, we are ready to capture them and bring them back.”
He added: “And the Egyptian president also assured me that they will work with us on that, and that is why we are ready to do it.”
‘But there is a lot of complexity on the ground and around the security situation there, so it’s not something we can do immediately. But when the time comes we will be prepared to face it quickly. “We will do everything possible to get our nationals out.”
Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks and there could be even greater loss of life if an all-out invasion aimed at crushing Hamas is launched.
More than 80 deputies have urged the Government to call for an end to the violence. But the Prime Minister’s spokesman said a ceasefire would “only benefit Hamas.”
Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, who yesterday hosted an emergency Cobra meeting with ministers and officials, refused to say how long a humanitarian “pause” should last.
He said the delivery of aid to Gaza “would depend on the circumstances on the ground.”
He told Times Radio: ‘For example, if you think about the Rafah crossing bringing aid from Egypt to Gaza, to allow that aid to be safely transferred to Gaza would depend on the circumstances on the ground. But this is certainly something that our Prime Minister has urged and, in fact, the Secretary of Defense discussed it with his Israeli counterpart just yesterday.’
People search for survivors and the bodies of victims among the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli bombardment, in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, on October 26.
The Border Force mission comes after the Government announced that British citizens fleeing Gaza, Israel, Lebanon or the Palestinian territories will be exempt from residency tests and able to access benefits more quickly.
The changes will mean Britons fleeing conflict will be able to access social housing and homeless assistance without delay.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: ‘We have been working quickly to ensure that British citizens arriving from Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Lebanon can receive the support and security they need during a time of unspeakable upheaval. .
“As the UK continues to step up its response to the rapidly changing circumstances in the region, the regulations coming into force today will speed up access to benefits, ensuring those eligible can access the help they need.” Typically, a person must reside in the UK for around three months before being entitled to a number of benefits, whether they are a British citizen or not.