Note to reader: We wanted to give you a trigger warning on what you may read below. We have chosen, as with every one of these briefings, to not share horrific images, however we want to alert you as sensitively as we can to the reports coming out of Israel and Gaza.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: “We have seen a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality”
“In recent weeks and months, we have seen a shocking increase in extremist disruption and criminality”, said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday in an address delivered outside 10 Downing Street.
“Jewish children fearful to wear their school uniform lest it reveal their identity”, “council meetings and local events being stormed” and MPs lack of safety “in their homes”, were raised as examples of “forces here at home trying to tear us apart”.
“Britain is a patriotic, liberal, democratic society with a proud past and a bright future”, said Sunak. He added that, extremists “want us to believe that our country, and the West more generally, is solely responsible for the world’s ills… and that we, along with our allies, are the problem. In short, they want to destroy our confidence and hope. We must not allow that to happen”.
“We can make this a country in which we all feel a renewed sense of pride. This is our home. So let us go forward together, confident in our values and confident in our future”, concluded the Prime Minister.
Health and Social Care Minister Victoria Atkins: Antisemites “are people whose ideology and dogma are in direct conflict with our shared values”
“There are people whose ideology and dogma are in direct conflict with our shared values”, said Health and Social Care Minister Victoria Atkins after former Attorney General Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Ellis KC MP raised an NHS gynaecologist’s remarks that “Hammersmith would be better if it were Jew free”.
Having already contacted the relevant authorities on the matter, Atkins added that, “I will be looking into this with great urgency and great care”.
Ellis raised that the Medical Practitioner’s Tribunal Service was “defective” and “grossly unreasonable” for ruling that the practitioner was “not racist, but merely comfortable with using discriminator language”.
UN Security Council fails to convene on Hamas’ sexual crimes
The UN Security Council has not been immediately convened to discuss the “clear and convincing” evidence of Hamas’ sexual crimes on 7 October and ongoing crimes against hostages raised for the first time by the UN’s special representative on sexual crimes within a newly published report.
In response, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz has recalled Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, today, writing on X that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “acting to soften the serious report”.
“We saw a catalogue of the most extreme and inhumane forms of torture and other horrors”, said the UN special representative on sexual violence Pramila Patten in New York. 5,000 photographic images and “some 50 hours of footage” were reviewed by the UN team.
The evidence was outlined in a 24-page report published on Monday, which also cited sexual crimes being perpetrated by Hamas against hostages being held in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
The UN’s response, which has come almost five months after the Hamas-led onslaught of 7 October, has been criticised by Israel for its slow delivery.
A “fully-fledged investigation” must still be conducted to establish the magnitude and scope of the sexual violence, according the UN team.
Hamas claims it needs a truce to meet Israel’s demand for list of living hostages
Hamas has claimed that it needs a truce deal to deliver the names of living hostages to Israel.
The claims follow both Israel and Hamas tempering reports of progress on a hostage deal.
On Sunday, Israel declined to send a delegation of mediators to Cairo to engage in talks with the terror group due to their refusal to produce a list of living hostages, which was promised by both Egypt and Qatar during the previous negotiations in Paris.
Hamas official: “The slogans of resistance are being repeated by the youngsters from Washington to Jakarta”
Hamas is “a trend”, said Hamas’ representative in Iran Khaled Qaddoumi, adding that “the slogans of Hamas, the slogans of resistance are being repeated by the youngsters from Washington to Jakarta”.
The from the river to the sea slogan, despite being in Hamas charter, is unlikely to warrant police arrest, according to Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan.
The taking of “so-called hostages” was “converted” into a “dramatic issue” by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Qaddoumi in the latest controversial Hamas remarks.
“We did not target civilians”, he added about the brutal 7 October massacre, alleging that “most” of the atrocities have been faked.
Hezbollah’s constant rocket fire pushing Israel to a decision on military action in Lebanon
Hezbollah’s constant rocket attacks on Israel are pushing Jerusalem nearer to deciding on the plausibility of military action in Lebanon, according to Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday.
“We are committed to the diplomatic process. However, Hezbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in the decision-making regarding our military activities in Lebanon”, said Israel’s Defence Minister.
The Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets at Israel today, striking several towns near the northern border. Projectiles struck a home and a store. Hezbollah also claimed to strike an IDF base, according to reports.
The attacks followed Hezbollah rocket fire on Monday night, reportedly knocking out the power in several northern towns after striking an electrical utility pole.
Earlier the same day, an Indian citizen working in Israel, Patnibin Maxwell, 31, was killed and two others were left injured when an anti-tank missile was fired by Hezbollah into the border town of Margaliot, according to reports.
The IDF said that it shelled the location of the rocket fire with artillery after striking a Hezbollah cell gathered in southern Lebanon.
Gallant made the statements to U.S. envoy to the region, Amos Hochstein. The two also discussed Hezbollah’s daily attacks, as well as efforts to reach an agreement that would urge the terror group to withdraw from the border and stop hostilities
Iran’s nuclear advancement is unknown according to IAEA Chief
“The [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)] has lost continuity of knowledge” of Iran’s nuclear advancements, said IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi on Monday.
He also warned that any future agreement between Iran and the West must account for the vast progress made by the Islamic Republic – which has developed IR-1 centrifuges to IR 2, IR-4, and IR-6 centrifuges. 3.67% enriched uranium has also been developed to large amounts of near weapons grade 60% enriched uranium.
“It is three years since Iran stopped provisionally applying its additional protocol and therefore it is also three years since the agency was able to conduct complementary access in Iran”, Grossi stated to the IAEA Board of Governors.
Iran’s Pars-1 satellite launched from Russia
Iran has successfully launched a satellite, the ‘Pars-1’ from Russia, according to reports.
The low-earth orbit satellite’s capabilities include remote sensing, short-wave infrared, and thermal infrared imaging, and was lauded by Iran’s telecommunications minister Issa Zareppur as the twelfth satellite in the past two years.
Russia and Iran have been tightening their diplomatic and military-industrial ties since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’ massacre on 7 October.
BBC Arabic reporters under investigation
A number of reporters from BBC Arabic have come under investigation, according to a new Telegraph reports.
Former Attorney General Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Ellis KC MP called the BBC “institutionally antisemitic” and said that the corporation has inflamed community tensions, bringing its impartiality into “disrepute” last week during a Westminster Hall debate last week.
The reporters under investigation have maintained their positions at the corporation and are again covering the Israel-Hamas War, despite allegedly endorsing comments likening Hamas to freedom fighters and praising the 7 October atrocities online.
The BBC had said that “urgent” investigations were taking place. No further disciplinary action has been reported.
