Britain’s newly ensconced Foreign Secretary David Cameron visited Kibbutz Be’eri on Thursday, one of the worst-hit Israeli communities during the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre.
“I wanted to come here myself to see the horrific nature of the attacks that you suffered,” the British former prime minister told Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who accompanied him on his visit.
Cameron met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later in the day. Netanyahu assured Cameron that following the expected ceasefire, which Israel approved on Wednesday to free some of the approximately 240 hostages held by Hamas, Israel would return to fighting the terrorist group.
“We will continue with the goals of the war and to destroy Hamas, because Hamas has already promised that they will do the same thing [invade and murder Israeli civilians] again and again and again,” Netanyahu told Cameron.
“This is a sect that advocates genocide. There is no hope for peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arab countries if we do not eradicate this murderous movement, which threatens the future of all of us,” he added.
Cameron thanked Netanyahu for taking the time to meet with him and expressed his support for a pause in the fighting in order to free hostages and get more aid to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
Also visiting Israel on Thursday were Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo of Belgium. They met with President Isaac Herzog at his official residence in Jerusalem.
Sánchez said, “We condemn once again the shocking acts of terrorism of Oct. 7. And I welcome the agreement that will allow for the release of some of the hostages and establishment of the humanitarian pause.”
De Croo said, “Let me be clear, we stand on your side in protecting the Israeli people and protecting your rights to protect yourself from terrorist attacks. Antisemitism is something which is not acceptable. And it puts in danger Jewish people around the world. And they live in agony today. And we feel it and we want to help.”
He added, “Taking innocent hostages is a war crime, something which cannot be accepted, and I really hope that today is a step forward: a step forward on liberating innocent people.”
Herzog said the horrors are unending, noting the corpse of a young girl was found on Wednesday. “Her body was identified after a long, long process of identification, which just means what type of horrors people have gone through with their bodies chopped and burned.”
The president criticized international organizations that have been silent. Noting that the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women takes place on Saturday, he said groups that deal with such issues have ignored the violence committed against Jewish women on Oct. 7, including mass rape.
