As the death toll in Gaza rises, Prince William said he wants to see an “end to the fighting” in the Israel-Hamas war as soon as possible.
William, who recently returned to public royal duties after taking time off while his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, recovered from surgery, said it was critical for aid to get into Gaza. He also called for the release of the Israeli hostages taken during Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home,” William said in a statement on social media. “Even in the darkest hour, we must not succumb to the counsel of despair. I continue to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found and I refuse to give up on that.”
Roughly 1,200 people were killed in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, with around 240 taken hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli officials. An estimated 29,000 people have been killed in Gaza in the months since, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
William’s statement comes as King Charles battles cancer. Buckingham Palace said the monarch would step back from his public duties during treatment.
Members of the British royal family rarely make public statements about global conflicts. A spokesperson for William and Kate had stated the situation in Israel and Gaza just days after Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“The horrors inflicted by Hamas’s terrorist attack upon Israel are appalling; they utterly condemn them,” the spokesperson said in an Oct. 11 public statement. “As Israel exercises its right of self defence, all Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be stalked by grief, fear and anger in the time to come. Their Royal Highnesses hold all the victims, their families and their friends in their hearts and minds.”
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said William had “followed the region closely” since his visit there in 2018. The spokesperson said William made Tuesday’s statement because of “the extent of the human suffering that is on display.”
William also met with members of the British Red Cross on Tuesday to learn how the organization is aiding those impacted by conflict in the Middle East. His upcoming schedule also includes a conversation at a synagogue with young people who are advocates against hatred and antisemitism.
“The Prince of Wales will undertake engagements which recognise the human suffering caused by the ongoing war in the Middle East and the subsequent conflict in Gaza, as well as the rise of antisemitism around the world,” according to his schedule.
The United States on Tuesday vetoed a United Nations resolution demanding an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The United Kingdom abstained from the vote.