Britain deploys Royal Navy and RAF to support Israel and ‘ensure regional stability’

Surveillance aircraft and auxiliary vessels sent to region as Royal Marines and helicopters put on standby

Britain is to deploy Royal Navy vessels and RAF surveillance aircraft to the eastern Mediterranean to "ensure regional stability" and support Israel, Rishi Sunak has announced.

The prime minister said UK military teams would help "re-establish security" and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid after a Hamas attack and Israeli retaliation left thousands dead.

A Royal Navy task group will arrive in the region in the coming days to help mitigate humanitarian crisis, while surveillance aircraft will begin flights on Friday to help track treats, No.10 said.

Mr Sunak this morning told Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi that the UK stood ready to help keep the Rafah crossing out of Gaza open for humanitarian purposes amid expectations of an exodus of refugees from the Palestinian territory.

Israel says over 1,300 people were killed after a raid by Hamas gunmen into its territory, while officials in Gaza say retaliatory airstrikes have killed 1,400 people and wounded 6,000. The UN says 12 aid workers have died in the fighting so far.

“We must be unequivocal in making sure the types of horrific scenes we have seen this week will not be repeated," Mr Sunak said in a statement issued on Thursday night as he announced the deployment.

"Alongside our allies, the deployment of our world class military will support efforts to ensure regional stability and prevent further escalation.

“Our military and diplomatic teams across the region will also support international partners to re-establish security and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the thousands of innocent victims of this barbaric attack from Hamas terrorists.”

No.10 says the forces sent to the region will include P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft and two Royal Navy ships – the Royal Fleet Auxilary (RFA) Lyme Bay and RFA Argus.

Three Merlin helicopters and a company of Royal Marines will also be on standby to deliver "practical support" to Israel and partners in the region, and "offer deterrence and assurance".

Mr Sunak will travel to Sweden where he will speak to European leaders at the Joint Expeditionary Force summit. The meeting will discuss the situation in the Middle East and the war between Ukraine and Russia.

During the trip he will also visit a Royal Navy warship patrolling the Baltic.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Thursday announced that the UK government would help facilitate commercial flights to help vulnerable British nationals wanting to leave Israel. Some airlines including EasyJet have suspended flights in light of the fighting.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “The monstrous terrorist attacks committed by Hamas in recent days have proven why the UK must support Israel’s absolute right to self-defence and deter malign external interference.

"No nation should stand alone in the face of such evil and today’s deployment will ensure Israel does not.

“The Royal Navy Task Group, RAF operations and our wider military support will be an undeniable display of the UK’s resolve to ensure Hamas’s terrorist campaign fails, whilst reminding those who seek to inflame tensions that the forces of freedom stand with the Israeli people.”