Sunak promises Israel ‘unqualified support in face of evil’ – but makes no mention of Gaza’s plight

Keir Starmer also backs Israel but issues call for all parties to act in line with international law

Rishi Sunak has voiced unequivocal" UK support for Israel not just today, not just tomorrow, but always" in a lengthy statement to mark one week since Hamas militants murdered 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers, and took more than 150 people hostage. The prime minister's remarks - in which he makes no mention of the plight of innocent Palestinians now trapped in Gaza, or the need for their safe evacuation - come amid growing political tensions in the UK over how to respond to Israel's retaliatory bombing of Gaza, and its orders to more than 1 million Palestinians to flee their homes for their own safety.

Senior Labour figures believe the Conservatives are deliberately trying to paint them as less supportive of Israel, and to suggest that some on the left of the party are somehow sympathetic to Hamas and antisemitic, because they are pro-Palestinian.