Israel is fighting a 'just war'; 'We would do the same thing,' says deputy British PM

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said this week that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is “just” and “morally justified,” while refusing to join in the international calls for a ceasefire.  

“I do believe this is a just war Israel is seeking to prosecute against cold blooded terrorists who have murdered its citizens,” Dowden told BBC Radio 4. 

Dowden said that the UK would do the exact same thing as Israel if it were in the same situation.

“We would do the same thing in this country if it happened to us. Israel has set out two clear aims for this conflict which the United Kingdom agrees with – which is to eliminate the Hamas threat and to release those hostages.”

Sky News asked the deputy prime minister if he thought Israel had broken international law in its two strikes against Jabalya in northern Gaza this week, during which the IDF killed top Hamas commander Ibrahim Biari. Dowden said it is Hamas that hides behind the civilian population, which is a war crime. 

“This is the reality of the conflict with an organization like Hamas,” Dowden responded.

“Hamas is a terrorist organization that has murdered in cold blood over 1,000 innocent Israeli men, women and children, and now seeks to hide amongst the civilian population. This is a very difficult conflict. We continue to urge the Israeli government to abide by international law. I believe that the Israeli government is continuing to do so against an enemy that hides among civilians. It is the terrible nature of this appalling conflict.”

The UK has been a staunch supporter of Israel during the difficult time since the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas against civilians in southern Israel, with both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly expressing their solid support for the Jewish state. 

On Wednesday, Cleverly posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, of senior Hamas official, terrorist Ghazi Hamad, who said that Hamas will continue to commit massacres like the one they perpetrated on Oct. 7 until Israel is annihilated. The caption read: “How can there be peace when Hamas are committed to the eradication of Israel? This is an official from Hamas committing to repeat the atrocities from 07/10 again and again.”

Unlike the UK, France said on Thursday that it was “deeply concerned” about Israeli strikes in the northern Gaza Strip and called for a “humanitarian pause” to allow aid through. 

“France is deeply concerned about the very heavy toll on the Palestinian civilian population from the Israeli strikes against the Jabalia camp, and expresses its compassion for the victims,” the French government said in a press release, which called for “an immediate humanitarian truce so that aid can reach those who need it in a sustainable, safe and adequate way.”

Israel has been instructing civilians to leave northern Gaza for three weeks in order to get out of harm's way and not endanger their lives during the airstrikes while the nation continues to targeting Hamas terrorist positions in the area.