My fears for my family trapped in Gaza City, by MP Layla Moran

Earlier this week, British-Palestinian MP Layla Moran was asked on ‘Good Morning Britain’ if she had known in advance about the Hamas attack plan – for which co-host Richard Madeley has now apologised. Here, she reveals how her family’s Gaza home was demolished in a bomb strike, and how they are coping as basic supplies run out

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran was asked by GMB’s Richard Madeley if there had been ‘any word on the street’ ahead of the Hamas attack on Israel (ITV/Good Morning Britain)

I was utterly heartbroken by the destruction of the al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza, which has claimed an estimated 500 lives and countless more injuries. As I write this, it is still unclear who is responsible for this heinous act, but the Palestinian community in the UK, of which I am a part, is grieving. It seems we are on the precipice of something truly awful.

I absolutely share the grief of the Israeli people and Jewish communities here in the UK and around the world following the horrific events of 7 October. Liberal Democrats unequivocally condemn the attacks by Hamas, as we have always done whenever they or others have chosen this barbarous path. The abduction and degrading of hostages, including women and children, is clearly both shocking and unacceptable. We echo demands for their immediate release and abhor the suggestion they should be used as bargaining chips.

It is deeply saddening that what unites us all as a community are those profound feelings of sorrow and loss. I was honoured to speak at a vigil held in Oxford, organised by the local Jewish community, where we stood shoulder to shoulder as one community, supporting one another at this most difficult time.