Rishi Sunak confirms 6 Britons dead and 10 missing after Hamas ‘pogrom’ in Israel – live
The PM’s statement will be followed by a Commons session where MPs will debate the UK’s involvement
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Your support makes all the difference.Rishi Sunak has provided an update on the number of Britons missing or killed as a result of the conflict in an address to Parliament today: 6 dead and ten missing.
It comes after the prime minister’s visit to a Jewish school in north London, where he repeated his belief that Israel has “every right to defend itself and its people to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again”.
He added that in his conversation with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he had also raised the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where 2,700 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 people wounded in retaliatory airstrikes.
Mr Sunak’s statement to the Commons is expected to set out how the UK is aiding British nationals caught in the fighting and supporting Israel, as well as detailing the response to the impact on Palestinians trapped in the strip.
Hospitals across Gaza are expected to run out of fuel, while international aid is being held up in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula pending a deal to ensure its safe delivery.
IDF secures 'Hamas military stronghold' inside Gaza
The Israel Defence Forces says it has secured a “Hamas military stronghold” inside the Gaza Strip.
It said in a statement the stronghold belonged to “the Hamas terrorist organisation in the northern Gaza Strip”.
“Furthermore, IDF troops located a number of Hamas terrorists who barricaded themselves in a building adjacent to the al Quds Hospital, and planned to carry out an attack on the forces from there.”
Anti-tank missiles, launchers, other weapons and “various intelligence materials” were reportedly found inside.
Israel hints at extending ‘indefinite control’ over security in Gaza
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted at extending “indefinite control” over security in Gaza as Israel ramps up its ground invasion into the region.
“I think Israel will for an indefinite period have security responsibility. We have seen what happens when Israel does not have the security responsibility,” he told ABC news, referencing the 7 October attack.
“When we do not have this security responsibility what we have is an eruption of Hamas terror on a scale we could not imagine.”
IDF tank attacks Lebanese territory, military says
An Israeli Defence Forces tank attacked Lebanese territory after it was attack by a “terrorist squad”, a military spokesperson said.
“A short time ago, an IDF tank attacked a terrorist squad in Lebanese territory that tried to launch an anti-tank missile towards Israeli territory near the Shatula area.
“Also, earlier today IDF forces attacked a position of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, in order to remove a threat,” IDF spokesperon Daniel Hagari said.
Israel says 'thousands' using evacuation corridor
Thousands of Gazans are using the evacuation corridor the country has opened along the Salah al Din Road, Israel’s defence ministry agency the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said.
“Happening now. Thousands pass through the evacuation corridor the IDF opened for civilians in northern Gaza to move southwards,” it said on X, formerly Twitter.
The road allows those in the north to travel to the south, where IDF forces are not yet operating on the ground - although airstrikes are still occurring across the strip.
UAE to set up 150-bed field hospital in Gaza
The United Arab Emirates is to set up a field hospital in the Gaza Strip, it has been reported.
Five aircraft flew out of Abu Dhabi for Arish in northern Egypt carrying equipment and supplies for the 150-bed facility, WAM news agency said late on Monday.
An official contacted by AFP said there was no immediate information on how the equipment will be transferred to Gaza, where there is only one operational border point, the Rafah crossing near Arish.
‘No place is safe in Gaza’, UN warns
The United Nations has warned that “no place is safe” in Gaza.
No place is safe in Gaza. Sixty-six people have been killed & 540 injured sheltering in 50 UNRWA installations this past month.
“People sheltering under the UN flag- seeking safety in UNRWA schools- were killed in places that should be protected under International Humanitarian Law,” it said on X, formerly Twitter.
Jerusalem: Israelis mark one-month anniversary since Hamas’s attacks
IDF intercepts ‘suspicious aerial target’ near Lebanon, military claims
The Israel Defence Forces have claimed they intercepted “a suspicious aerial target” near the blue-line which marks the UN-drawn boundary between Israel and Lebanon.
“A short while ago, the IDF aerial defence array intercepted a suspicious aerial target that was identified in the area of the border with Lebanon before it crossed into Israeli territory.
“Furthermore, a short while ago, terrorists fired at an IDF post in the area of Aramshe in northern Israel. No injuries were reported. IDF soldiers responded with artillery fire toward the origins of the shooting in Lebanon,” it wrote on Telegram.
Germany releases 71mn euros in aid for Palestinians
Germany has decided to release 71 million euros in aid as part of an ongoing review of its support for Palestinians, and has pledged an additional 20 million euros in new funding, the development ministry said.
Germany responded to Hamas militants’ bloody attack on Israel on 7 October by temporarily suspending its development aid to the Palestinian Territories pending review.
“Due to the fragile situation in the region, the review has not yet been fully completed,” a statement from the ministry said.
Government will consider any application to stop pro-Palestine march
Rishi Sunak believes a pro-Palestinian march on Armistice Day would be “provocative and disrespectful”.
The PM’s official spokesman said operational decisions on whether to ban the planned march in London were for the Metropolitan Police. But the spokesman said the Government would “carefully consider” any application to prevent the march.“
The prime minister himself does not think it’s right for these sorts of protests to be scheduled on Armistice Day,” the spokesman said. “He believes that is provocative and disrespectful.”
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