Violence must stop, UK tells Hamas and Israel

Cleverly, a junior foreign minister who deals with the Middle East and North Africa, told the Islamist group to cease rocket attacks on the Jewish state.

"We are encouraging both the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to de-escalate," Cleverly said in an interview with BBC News on Thursday (May 13).

But Cleverly focussed on the actions of Hamas, saying the group was firing on civilian areas indiscriminately.

"Israel is responding to defend itself," he said.

Cleverly added that Britain was demanding Hamas stop firing rockets so that Israel "does not feel the need to make military strikes into Gaza."