Israel-Hamas war: EU chief enters protected shelter amid sirens in Tel Aviv

European Union's (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen, who is in Tel Aviv, entered a protected shelter on Friday as air-raid sirens sounded across the Israeli city amid Israel's ongoing conflict with Hamas militants. The evacuation came as von der Leyen was meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. She was accompanied by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola.

Earlier on Friday, the EU chief shared a post on X saying that she arrived in Israel "to express our solidarity with the Israeli people in the wake of the horrific Hamas terrorist attack."

"We were in Kfar Azza. One of the epicentres of the atrocities committed by Hamas last weekend. The horror of what happened here is unspeakable. We mourn with the families of the victims," she said in a subsequent post.

UK foreign minister takes shelter as siren goes off

The above development comes just two days after British Foreign Minister James Cleverly took shelter as a siren went off during his visit to southern Israel on Wednesday. A siren, which the Israeli ministry said warned of incoming Hamas rocket fire, rang out in the background.

"Today I’ve seen a glimpse of what millions experience every day. The threat of Hamas rockets lingers over every Israeli man, woman and child," Cleverly said in a post on social media. "This is why we are standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel," he added.

During his Israel visit, Cleverly met survivors of the attacks and senior Israeli leaders to outline Britain's support for Israel's right to defend itself, a spokesperson from the British foreign office said.

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