UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke to Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Friday to discuss the “deeply distressing situation” in West Asia against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The conversation was part of Sunak’s continuing outreach to world leaders on the situation following the October 7 terror attacks by the Hamas.

“The leaders discussed the deeply distressing situation in the Middle East and condemned Hamas’s attacks on Israel. They reiterated that Hamas did not represent the Palestinian people and reflected on the need to deescalate tensions in the wider region,” a Downing Street spokeswoman said.

There was no immediate readout from the Indian side on the conversation. Modi has spoken with the leaders of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in recent days to discuss the situation in West Asia.

The Downing Street spokeswoman said that Sunak had “underscored the importance of protecting innocent civilians in Gaza and ensuring aid was able to flow into the country”.

Sunak and Modi also discussed the negotiations between India and the UK on a free trade agreement.

“Turning to the friendship between the UK and India, the leaders discussed recent progress on Free Trade Agreement negotiations,” the spokeswoman said.

“They agreed on the importance of securing an ambitious deal that benefited both sides,” the spokeswoman said without giving details.

She added: “Finally, the leaders discussed the ongoing Cricket World Cup being held in India. [Sunak] congratulated Prime Minister Modi on the strong performance of the India team and said he hoped England would have more luck during their test series in India in January.”