Israeli president expected to visit UK next week

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog is set to visit the UK next week, it is understood.

He is expected to meet Government ministers next Thursday, the Guardian newspaper reported.

The visit of a senior Israeli leader could spark outrage in some quarters at a time when the humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire and Israel presses ahead with a major military offensive.

It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “terrible situation” in the Strip this week, and before the UK intends to recognise a Palestinian state later this month.

The Palestinian death toll has surpassed 64,000 since the war triggered by Hamas’s deadly 2023 attack on Israel began nearly two years ago, local health officials said on Thursday.

Downing Street declined to comment when asked about the Israeli president’s trip, saying it would set out any visits “in the normal way”.

Were Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to travel to the UK, domestic courts could decide to enforce an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Mr Herzog’s role as Israeli president is largely ceremonial.

He is from a different political party to Mr Netanyahu and has not always seen eye-to-eye with the premier, although he has largely supported war efforts in Gaza.