British Foreign Minister Says Prohibition Of Arms Exports To Israel Will Only Strengthen Hamas

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister David Cameron on Sunday said stopping British arms sales to Israel if they launched a ground attack on the Rafah in the Gaza Strip, would only strengthen Hamas.

Foreign Minister Cameron said he did not support operations in Rafah because there were no plans to protect hundreds of thousands of civilians taking refuge in the southern border city.

However, Britain is in a "very different position" with the United States in terms of providing weapons to Israel, he said, noting that less than 1 percent of Israeli weapons originating from Britain have been controlled through a strict licensing system.

"If we wanted, we could make some kind of political message and said we would take that political step," he said in an interview with the BBC.

"Last time I was urged to do so just a few days later there was a brutal attack by Iran on Israel, including 140 cruise missiles," he added.

Foreign Minister Cameron said "a better answer" was Hamas, who controlled Gaza, accepting a hostage-taking deal.

"Only by announcing today we will change our entire approach to arms exports compared to a careful process, this will strengthen Hamas, this will minimize the possibility of a hostage-taking deal, I don't think it is the right move. approach," he explained. he said.

It is known that the latest Hamas-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7, after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and holding more than 250 people hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported on Sunday that about 63 people had died in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll in the region to _35,034 since the war broke out on October 7, 2023.

Meanwhile, about 114 people were injured in the same period, bringing the total number of injured victims since Israel-Ha's latest conflict