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LONDON — Rishi Sunak confirmed that six British citizens have been killed following Hamas’ “pogrom” in Israel, with a further 10 still missing.
Updating the House of Commons on Monday, Sunak said Hamas’ deadly attacks last weekend had “shocked the world.” But he invoked U.S. President Joe Biden as he said the U.K. would, “as a friend” urge Israel to limit civilian casualties in its response to the attacks.
“We should call it by its name: it was a pogrom,” Sunak said.
As the families of some of those missing looked on from the public gallery of the House of Commons, Sunak called for the “immediate release of all hostages” taken by Hamas and stressed: “We stand with Israel.”
“The murdered and the missing come from over 30 countries, including the United Kingdom,” the U.K. prime minister added.
He said: “The terrible nature of these attacks means it is proving difficult to identify many of the deceased. But with a heavy heart I can inform the House that at least six British citizens were killed. A further 10 are missing, some of whom are feared to be among the dead.”
As Israel readies its full response to Hamas, Sunak urged it to do so in line with international law. “As a friend, we will continue to call on Israel to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians,” he said. “I repeat President Biden’s words: as democracies we are stronger and more secure when we act according to the rule of law.”
And while Sunak said the attacks represented an “existential strike at the very idea of Israel as the home for the Jewish people,” he also sought to address “a moment of great anguish for British Muslim communities,” drawing a sharp distinction between Hamas and the civilian population of Gaza.
The prime minister announced that an extra £10m of aid will be delivered to Palestine to help in the humanitarian effort there. “We must support the Palestinian people because they are victims of Hamas too,” he said.
