The United Kingdom has announced the deployment of an additional one thousand military personnel to the Middle East, according to Defense Minister Grant Shapps. The minister’s statement was released on the official website of the British government.
Shapps emphasized that the UK forces are present in the region to support humanitarian efforts and help stabilize the situation there.
During his upcoming trip, Shapps will visit Cyprus, Israel, and Palestine, accompanied by Chief of the Defense Staff General Sir Tony Radakin. The minister will discuss the acceleration of delivering vital humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and efforts to secure the release of all remaining Hamas militants, including British citizens.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated after thousands of Hamas militants infiltrated Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip on October 7th as part of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation, taking over 200 hostages. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of war, naming the Israeli operation “Iron Swords.”
Since the beginning of the operation, Israel has carried out massive rocket attacks on the Gaza Strip, cutting off water, food, electricity, and fuel supplies to the enclave. Humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza have only resumed through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt after October 20th.
On October 27th, Israel announced the “expansion” of the ground operation in Gaza. In anticipation of the operation, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes and sought refuge in shelters and the southern part of the enclave. Intense fighting continues in Gaza City.
Previously, it was reported that Britain would conduct flights over Gaza to locate hostages.
