Rishi Sunak has failed to endorse cross-party calls for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
In response to a question from the SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, the prime minster said Israel has a "right to defend itself, to protect its people and to act against terrorism and ensure that the awful attack we've seen from Hamas cannot happen again".
He added: "And unlike Hamas, the Israelis, including the president, have made it clear that their armed forces will operate accordance with international law. And we will continue to urge the Israelis to take every precaution to avoid harming civilians."
Mr Sunak's words came after more than 30 MPs supported calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities between both sides to protect further loss of civilian life.
Thirty-seven MPs, including 26 from Labour, backed an early day motion urging Mr Sunak and his Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to "press all parties to agree to an immediate de-escalation and cessation of hostilities, for the release of the Israeli hostages, an end to the total siege of Gaza and for unfettered access of lifesaving humanitarian aid".
The motion, which was also signed by Conservative MP and father of the house Sir Peter Bottomley, said that parliament "utterly condemns the massacre of Israeli civilians and taking of hostages by Hamas" and that it agrees with the UN that "these horrific acts do not justify responding with the collective punishment of the Palestinian people".
It said the UK must use its influence "to help protect civilians, to ensure adherence to international humanitarian law and to guarantee civilians have access to critical life-saving humanitarian support".
MPs use early day motions to put on record their views and those of their colleagues as well as to draw attention to specific events or campaigns.
The motion today came following reports of discontent within the Labour Party at Sir Keir Starmer's initial response to Israel's bombardment of Gaza, which came following the terrorist attack by Hamas which killed more than 1,400 Israelis.
In response to the deadly assault, Israel has carried out multiple airstrikes in Gaza in a bid to eliminate the terror group's senior figures. It also limited supplies of water and power to the area, which is home to 2.2 million civilians.
In an interview with LBC after the attack last weekend, the Labour leader said Israel "has the right" to withhold power and water from Gaza, before adding: "Obviously, everything should be done within international law."
His words have reportedly caused unhappiness among some Labour councillors, some of whom have resigned in protest - including Amna Abdullatif, the first Arab Muslim woman elected to Manchester City Council, and Russell Whiting in Colwick.
One Labour councillor told Sky News that the leader's office had been holding telephone conferences with council leaders to get feedback on the situation locally.
"No one has told me of any threat of 'mass resignations' but clearly a lot of councillors were not happy with the initial front bench response, which many saw as a free pass to Israel to take whatever action they wanted to do," they said.
In a bid to address the issue, Sir Keir has written to Labour councillors in which he expressed sympathy for the situation of civilians living inside Gaza.
In the letter, seen by Sky News, the Labour leader said Gaza was facing a "humanitarian emergency".
"There must be humanitarian corridors and humanitarian access, including food, water, electricity and medicines. And there must be proper protection for all those who work selflessly so aid can be delivered to victims.
"This is an urgent situation and innocent Palestinians need to know the world is not simply watching, but acting, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe."
He said he was "acutely aware of the shocking rise in Islamophobia, and antisemitic attacks," adding: "I know some of you have yourselves been victims."
Calls for a ceasefire have mounted today in response to the bombing of a hospital in Gaza, which Palestinian officials say has killed at least 500 people.
Israel has denied any involvement and said the blast was caused by a misfired rocket launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group - which also has rejected responsibility.
Downing Street said today it was "deeply irresponsible" to jump to conclusions over the explosion at al Ahli hospital.
The prime minister's official spokesman said "no-one should be taking at face value the word of a terrorist organisation" after Hamas blamed the Israeli military for the blast.
And asked whether the prime minister did not think the moment is right for a ceasefire, the spokesman said "part of Israel's work is to recover hostages who have been seized by a terrorist organisation".
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2023-10-18 12:33:45Z
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