UK Border Force teams are in Egypt to help trapped British nationals escape from Gaza when a crossing is opened, Rishi Sunak has revealed.
Around 200 Briton stuck inside the besieged enclave have been in touch with the Foreign Office, the prime minister said, as Israel continues to step up preparations for a ground invasion.
The UK is hopeful at some point they will be able to leave via the Rafah crossing into Egypt, through which aid is currently being brought into Gaza.
Mr Sunak said he had discussed their plight with the leaders of both Egypt and Israel and were “very keen to be able to bring them out and bring them home”.
He is pushing for a temporary “pause” in the fighting – as distinct from a ceasefire – to allow aid into Gaza, amid growing fears of a full-scale humanitarian crisis.
Mr Sunak also expressed hopes this would create a “safer environment” for UK citizens to leave the bombarded 25-mile strip.
At the weekend, the first aid convoy made it through the crossing into Gaza.
Cairo has said that Israeli bombings around Rafah means it currently cannot open the crossing for foreign nationals to pass through.
The prime minister said the government recognised that for British nationals to leave there “needs to be a safer environment, which of course necessitates specific pauses, which are distinct from a ceasefire”.
He added: “We’re very keen to be able to bring them out and bring them home.
“What I can tell you is we’ve pre-positioned Border Force teams to Egypt.
“So that if there is a possibility for our nationals to cross the Rafah crossing, we’re ready to get them in and bring them back.
“It is not something we can do immediately but when the moment arises, we’ll be ready to take it quickly.”
The Israeli military has said that troops and tanks launched a brief ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, in order to “prepare the battlefield” ahead of a widely-expected ground invasion.
Downing Street said it would not speculate about whether it would support a ceasefire if Israel succeeded in rescuing hostages from Gaza.
“I’m not going to speculate on what we may do in the future. This is a fluid situation. I’ve set out our position currently,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.