Lord Cameron said on X that, “Hamas could end this conflict today. They must release all hostages immediately”.
Lord Cameron expressed his concern after he had spoken again to some of the families of those being held hostage in Gaza. “Their ordeals are unimaginable”, he said.
It has now been 165 days since the 134 hostages were taken by Hamas on 7th October.
Foreign Minister Andrew Mitchell: Aid “stolen and misappropriated” by Hamas
Foreign Minister Andrew Mitchell has said that like in the British military, the IDF “is governed by legal advice. Lawyers are embedded in the people who are making these decisions”. He also raised “the dangers of the aid being misappropriated and stolen by Hamas”.
Speaking during today’s Urgent Question, Former Attorney General Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Ellis KC MP has said that “officials on the ground have stated that Hamas are appropriating—or misappropriating—as much as 60% of the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza strip. This is part of a long pattern of prioritising fighters, abusing aid to produce rockets and using construction materials to build hundreds of miles of tunnels for their terror activities”.
CFI Parliamentary Officer Andrew Percy MP said that “it remains incredible that some people in this place can barely utter a word of criticism of the Hamas regime in Gaza, who themselves are being accused of stealing and hoarding aid. With regard to the operation in Rafah, the Israeli Government have been very clear that hostages are being held there and that some of them have been subjected to sexual violence and other abuse”.
CFI Parliamentary Officer Greg Smith MP welcomed “reports that Israel is opening new routes to directly deliver humanitarian aid into northern Gaza amidst a slowdown in UN operations and the widespread Hamas misappropriation”.
“Right at the core of this conflict is the visceral feeling of the Israelis that they want their people home, which anyone can understand”, said Rt. Hon. Sir Oliver Heald MP.
Steve Double MP said that “anyone calling for an immediate ceasefire needs to make absolutely clear that, that must include Hamas releasing the hostages, ceasing all hostilities and committing to a future peace”.
Former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis: “The BBC seems to be institutionally antisemitic”
“Awful though it is, it cannot be denied – the BBC seems to be institutionally antisemitic”, said Former Attorney General, Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Ellis KC MP in an article for the Daily Mail on Sunday which called out the BBC for the erosion of its commitment to impartiality, an attribute that is enshrined in the Corporation’s Royal Charter.
Sir Michael, added that, “claiming to be neutral while in fact being biased is a form of corruption”.
Several examples of anti-Israel bias were shared in Sir Michael’s article. Two BBC journalists credited with working on a story last week alleging that Israel mistreated doctors in Gaza, Soha Ibrahim and Marie-Jose Al Azzi, have ‘liked’ multiple online posts in support of Hamas. ‘Liked’ videos included people in Lebanon and Tunisia dancing in celebration and waving Palestinian flags on the day of 7th October. Ms Al Azzi described Israel as a “terrorist apartheid state”, in a now-deleted post from 2018.
CFI Parliamentary Officer Nicola Richards MP reportedly called for the BBC to suspend the BBC Arabic journalists while it investigates.
A recent poll showed “more than three quarters of Jews in Britain – 77 per cent – believe that its coverage of the war in Gaza is biased against Israel”, Sir Michael said.
Sir Michael noted the Jewish sports journalist Noah Abrahams, 22, who quit his job after the BBC refused to “unequivocally call Hamas what it is: a terrorist organisation”, and dozens more Jewish employees at the BBC are said to have filed formal complaints.
The BBC’s failure to fulfil its duty to impartiality has “inflamed community tensions here in the UK and harmed diplomatic efforts internationally to end the violence”, Sir Michael said.
Lord Leigh of Hurley: Israel “has never denied Gaza humanitarian aid”
In the House of Lords on Monday, Lord Leigh of Hurley raised his visit to the Israel-Gaza Kerem Shalom aid crossing: “Israel—which has never denied Gaza humanitarian aid—now has the capacity to pass 44 trucks per hour into Gaza. On 10 March, 150 lorries passed through, supplying 3,750 tonnes of food, equivalent to four pounds per person”.
“It is very important not to have disinformation, particularly about Israel”, Lord Leigh added.
UK and Israel expand science collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding
Israel’s Ambassador to the UK Her Excellency Tzipi Hotovely, and the British Ambassador to Israel Simon Walters, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the two nations.
“The UK and Israel are working together to enhance our scientific collaboration”, Hotovely said on X.
“As two of the world’s leading countries in the fields of science, research, innovation, and technology, this agreement strengthens [the UK and Israel’s] cooperation in: sustainability and protecting the environment, health and medicine, artificial intelligence (AI), space exploration and education”, she wrote.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party issues rare rebuke of Hamas
“The real disconnection from reality and the Palestinian people is that of the Hamas leadership”, stated Fatah on Friday in a rare condemnation of the Iran-backed terror group.
Fatah, the party of Government in the West Bank, blamed Hamas for “having caused the return of the Israeli occupation of Gaza”, as Israel continues its military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s Government has ruled out any reoccupation of the Gaza Strip after the conclusion of the war.
Fatah also called out the Islamist group for failing to “consult” with the Palestinian leadership before launching its brutal terrorist attack on Israel, referring to it as an “adventure”.
The statements followed criticism by Hamas and Palestinian factions over Abbas’ appointment of Mohammad Mustafa as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority on Thursday.
Fatah has lost control over several major cities across the West Bank, which have come under the influence of Iran-backed terror groups including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas.
40 terrorists and Hamas commander killed in second Shifa Hospital operation
The IDF killed a senior Hamas commander, Faiq Mabhouh, inside the Shifa Hospital amid an exchange of fire yesterday, alongside 40 Hamas terrorists.
Hamas gunmen opened fire “from within the hospital compound” at around 2:30am on Monday morning, as the IDF encircled the complex, according to the IDF and Shin Bet.
The IDF said in a statement they had “concrete intelligence” that Hamas commanders were using the Shifa Hospital to advance terror activity.
In a room inside the hospital near where Mabhouh was killed, the IDF said troops recovered a cache of weapons.
Storing weapons in civilian areas and protected buildings such as a hospital is a war crime under International Law, and annuls the protected status of the building.
Mabhouh served as the head of operations in Hamas’ internal security, “working to advance terror activity” from within the hospital, the IDF said, adding that he was also responsible for the “synchronisation” of various Hamas units in the Gaza strip.
By Monday evening, 20 terrorists were killed inside the hospital and 20 more in the surrounding area. The IDF arrested 300 during the operation with a number of suspects confirmed as Hamas terror operatives.
The IDF stated that soldiers were “briefed in advance regarding the importance of preventing harm to civilians, patients, medical teams, and medical equipment”, and Arabic speakers accompanied them to facilitate communication with patients and staff.
Pathways to move civilians and medical staff out of the area were created by the IDF, enabling residents and those nearby the neighbourhood of Rimal to evacuate to the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone if they chose to, on the coast of southern Gaza.
IDF doctors were on hand “to assist those in need”. Once the operation at the hospital is over, “the IDF will continue the humanitarian effort and provide food, water, and additional supplies to the patients and civilians in the complex”, the IDF said.
Hamas kills senior Gazan clan member
Hamas has reportedly killed a leader of a powerful Palestinian clan in the Gaza Strip, amid alleged plans for Israel to begin strengthening local leadership in preparation for the end the Hamas-Israel War.
Unconfirmed Arab media reports have cited the “execution” of the Doghmush clan leader by Hamas in the family compound.
The Hamas Al-Majd website has warned against cooperating with Israel as reports have emerged of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas vying for support of well-armed Palestinian family groups.
The clan has cooperated and competed with Hamas in the past. It has reportedly carried out the kidnapping of BBC journalist Alan Johnson in 2007, organised crime and arms trading, and leads the al-Qaeda-linked Army of Islam terror group.
Washington confirms death of Hamas’ third in command
Washington has confirmed the death of Hamas senior commander and reported third in command Marwan Issa, who died in an Israeli airstrike earlier this month.
“The rest of [Hamas’] top leaders are in hiding, likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network, and justice will come for them too. We are helping to ensure that”, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said during a press briefing.
Marwan Issa, known as the “shadow man”, is believed to have helped mastermind the brutal 7 October attack on Israel.
