UK's Prince William: ‘Too Many’ Have Been Killed in Gaza Conflict

Britain's Prince William, The Prince of Wales, listens as he visits the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (AP)
Britain's Prince William, The Prince of Wales, listens as he visits the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (AP)
TT

UK's Prince William: ‘Too Many’ Have Been Killed in Gaza Conflict

Britain's Prince William, The Prince of Wales, listens as he visits the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (AP)
Britain's Prince William, The Prince of Wales, listens as he visits the British Red Cross at its headquarters in London, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (AP)

Britain's Prince William called on Tuesday for an end to the fighting in Gaza, saying the "sheer scale of human suffering" had brought home the need for peace in an enclave "where too many have been killed".

In an unusually direct intervention for a member of the royal family, William, the heir to the British throne, said it was critical that aid got through to those sheltering in Gaza, and that Hamas must release the hostages.

"I remain deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed," William said in a statement.

In 2018, William became the first senior British royal to make an official visit to Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories, and since then, he has followed the region closely, his office said.

Kensington Palace added that Britain's foreign office had been briefed about William's statement before he made it.

"Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home," he said.

The 41-year-old visited the British Red Cross headquarters in London on Tuesday to hear about their work supporting people affected by war in the Middle East.

"I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible," he said. "There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It’s critical that aid gets in, and the hostages are released."

Next week, William is due to visit a synagogue where he will hear from young people who are involved in tackling hatred and antisemitism. Last year was the worst on record for cases of antisemitism in Britain, according to a Jewish advisory body.

With his father King Charles currently absent from official public duties as he undergoes treatment for cancer, William has been expected to take on more high-profile engagements.

In general, British royals avoid making statements on political issues, but before his father became king, he spoke out on matters close to his heart.

Charles has called the attacks in southern Israel "barbaric acts of terrorism". He has also made a plea for greater religious tolerance at a time of "international turmoil".

Global calls for an end to the fighting in Gaza have mounted in recent weeks, as Israel prepares to expand its ground assault in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have sought shelter.

More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to local health authorities, since Israel launched an assault on the enclave following an attack by Hamas which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized 253 hostages. 



Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Latest Tests Show Seine Water Quality Was Substandard When Paris Mayor Took a Dip

 Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)
Boats carrying members of delegations sail along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024. (AFP)

Tests results released Friday showed the water quality in the River Seine was slightly below the standards needed to authorize swimming — just as the Paris Olympics start.

Heavy rain during the opening ceremony revived concerns over whether the long-polluted waterway will be clean enough to host swimming competitions, since water quality is deeply linked with the weather in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo took a highly publicized dip last week in a bid to ease fears. The Seine will be used for marathon swimming and triathlon.

Daily water quality tests measure levels of fecal bacteria known as E. coli.

Tests by monitoring group Eau de Paris show that at the Bras Marie, E. coli levels were then above the safe limit of 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters determined by European rules on June 17, when the mayor took a dip.

The site reached a value of 985 on the day the mayor swam with Paris 2024 chief Tony Estanguet and the top government official for the Paris region, Marc Guillaume, joined her, along with swimmers from local swimming clubs.

At two other measuring points further downstream, the results were below the threshold.

The statement by Paris City Hall and the prefecture of the Paris region noted that water quality last week was in line with European rules six days out of seven on the site which is to host the Olympic swimming competitions.

It noted that "the flow of the Seine is highly unstable due to regular rainfall episodes and remains more than twice the usual flow in summer," explaining fluctuating test results.

Swimming in the Seine has been banned for over a century. Since 2015, organizers have invested $1.5 billion to prepare the Seine for the Olympics and to ensure Parisians have a cleaner river after the Games. The plan included constructing a giant underground water storage basin in central Paris, renovating sewer infrastructure, and upgrading wastewater treatment plants.