The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, will go to Egypt on Friday, as part of his Middle East trip where he wants to urge calm in the region after the Hamas attack on Gaza.

Sunak visited Jerusalem on Thursday to show solidarity with Israel and to try to negotiate a way to free the hostages taken by Hamas and ease the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza.

He also met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia later on Thursday, where he encouraged the leader to use Saudi’s influence in the region to support stability, highlighting the concern that the Hamas attack and Israel’s response could spark regional unrest.

In his talks in Egypt, Sunak will emphasise “the imperative of avoiding regional escalation and preventing the further unnecessary loss of civilian life”, his office said.