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)
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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. 



Greece's 'Instagram Island' Santorini nears Saturation Point

Tourists queue as they wait to take a picture from one of the balconies. Aris Oikonomou / AFP
Tourists queue as they wait to take a picture from one of the balconies. Aris Oikonomou / AFP
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Greece's 'Instagram Island' Santorini nears Saturation Point

Tourists queue as they wait to take a picture from one of the balconies. Aris Oikonomou / AFP
Tourists queue as they wait to take a picture from one of the balconies. Aris Oikonomou / AFP

One of the most enduring images of Greece's summer travel brand is the world-famous sunset on Santorini Island, framed by sea-blue church domes on a jagged cliff high above a volcanic caldera.
This scene has inspired millions of fridge magnets, posters, and souvenirs -- and now the queue to reach the viewing spot in the clifftop village of Oia can take more than 20 minutes, said AFP.
Santorini is a key stopover of the Greek cruise experience. But with parts of the island nearing saturation, officials are considering restrictions.
Of the record 32.7 million people who visited Greece last year, around 3.4 million, or one in 10, went to the island of just 15,500 residents.
"We need to set limits if we don't want to sink under overtourism," Santorini mayor Nikos Zorzos told AFP.
"There must not be a single extra bed... whether in the large hotels or Airbnb rentals."
As the sun set behind the horizon in Oia, thousands raised their phones to the sky to capture the moment, followed by scattered applause.
For canny entrepreneurs, the Cycladic island's famous sunset can be a cash cow.
One company advertised more than 50 "flying dresses", which have long flowing trains, for up to 370 euros ($401), on posters around Oia for anyone who wishes to "feel like a Greek goddess" or spruce up selfies.
'Respect Oia'
But elsewhere in Oia's narrow streets, residents have put up signs urging visitors to respect their home.
"RESPECT... It's your holiday... but it's our home," read a purple sign from the Save Oia group.
Shaped by a volcanic eruption 3,600 years ago, Santorini's landscape is "unique", the mayor said, and "should not be harmed by new infrastructure".
Around a fifth of the island is currently occupied by buildings.
At the edge of the cliff, a myriad of swimming pools and jacuzzis highlight Santorini is also a pricey destination.
In 2023, 800 cruise ships brought some 1.3 million passengers, according to the Hellenic Ports Association.
Cruise ships "do a lot of harm to the island", said Chantal Metakides, a Belgian resident of Santorini for 26 years.
"When there are eight or nine ships pumping out smoke, you can see the layer of pollution in the caldera," she said.
Cruise ship limits
In June, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis floated the possibility of capping cruise ship arrivals to Greece's most popular islands.
"I think we'll do it next year," he told Bloomberg, noting that Santorini and tourist magnet Mykonos "are clearly suffering".
"There are people spending a lot of money to be on Santorini and they don’t want the island to be swamped," said the pro-business conservative leader, who was re-elected to a second four-year term last year.
In an AFP interview, Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni echoed this sentiment and said: "We must set quotas because it's impossible for an island such as Santorini... to have five cruise ships arriving at the same time."
Local officials have set a limit of 8,000 cruise boat passengers per day from next year.
But not all local operators agree.
Antonis Pagonis, head of Santorini's hoteliers association, believes better visitor flow management is part of the solution.
"It is not possible to have (on) a Monday, for example, 20 to 25,000 guests from the cruise ships, and the next day zero," he said.
Pagonis also argued that most of the congestion only affects parts of the island like the capital, Fira.
In the south of the island, the volcanic sand beaches are less crowded, even though it is high season in July.
'I'm in Türkiye
The modern tourism industry has also changed visitor behavior.
"I listened (to) people making a FaceTime call with the family, saying 'I'm in Türkiye," smiled tourist guide Kostas Sakavaras.
"They think that the church over there is a mosque because yesterday they were in Türkiye."
The veteran guide said the average tourist coming to the island has changed.
"Instagram has defined the way people choose the places to visit," he said, explaining everybody wants the perfect Instagram photo to confirm their expectations.