Rishi Sunak has expressed his solidarity with Britain’s Jewish community and said the Government is taking the “necessary steps” to protect them as more than 10 Britons were feared dead or missing in the wake of devastating attacks in Israel.
The Prime Minister addressed the horrific events during speeches on Monday night after a Jewish charity said it had seen an increase in anti-Semitic attacks and as police forces stepped up patrols around the country.
“I also want to say a word to Jewish communities here at home: I am with you. And we are taking the necessary steps to ensure that you feel safe,” Mr Sunak was expected to say in his speech at the Future Resilience Forum.
Later, in an address at the Finchley United Synagogue in north London, the Prime Minister said he wanted to “stand with you in solidarity in Israel’s hour of need”.
“As the Prime Minister of this country, I'm unequivocal. The people who support Hamas are fully responsible for this appalling attack.
“They are not militants. They are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists.”
Israel has been rocked by the attacks that started on Saturday when fighters from the Islamist group Hamas killed hundreds of Israelis and abducted dozens, the deadliest such incursion in decades, prompting Israel to retaliate by pounding the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
In Britain, the Jewish advisory body, the Community Security Trust (CST), said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it had seen incidents of what it called “racist anti-Semitism against Jewish people” since Saturday.
The Metropolitan Police said it would increase the number of police officers on the streets across Britain’s capital to “reassure and protect communities.”
The Greater Manchester Police force in northern England also said it had stepped up the protection of communities amid the conflict.
“We are doing everything we can to keep people safe and ensure they feel reassured by our presence,” Manchester Superintendent Rachael Harrison said in a statement.
The Israeli military said it had called up 300,000 reservists and was imposing a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, signalling it could be planning a major ground assault.
More than 900 people have been killed in Israel since Saturday’s surprise attack, including 260 people massacred by Hamas gunmen at a music festival.
Retaliatory strikes by Israel in Gaza have claimed more than 500 lives, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had “only started” a fierce offensive in the Gaza Strip in response to the unprecedented attack on his country.
Mr Netanyahu delivered the pronouncement in a nationally televised address as Israel pressed ahead with a third day of heavy airstrikes in Gaza.
“We have only started striking Hamas,” he said. “What we will do to our enemies in the coming days will reverberate with them for generations.”
More than 10 Britons are reportedly feared dead or missing after Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel.
Nathanel Young, 20, was serving in the Israeli army when he was killed in the surprise attack by Palestinian militants.
The former pupil at JFS Jewish school in Kenton, north London, had been living in the Bayit Shel Benji lone-soldier house in Raanana, according to the Jewish News.
Mr Young’s brother, Eliot Young, said in a statement released to the BBC: “Nathanel was full of life and the life of the party. He loved his family and friends and was loved by everyone.
“He loved music and was a talented DJ, DJing both on base and at Benji’s House, the lone-soldier house where he was living.”
Jack Marlowe, 26, who went to the same London school as Mr Young, is believed to be missing, while photographer Dan Darlington is feared to be dead.
Mr Darlington and his friend Carolin Bohl were in Kibbutz Nir Oz when it was attacked by Hamas fighters.
Ms Bohl’s sister, Anja Pasquesi, wrote on Instagram: “Today we learned from Carolin’s friend on the ground in Kibbutz Nor Oz in Israel that she and her friend Danny were killed in a terrorist attack yesterday. We are broken and are working to cope with this unimaginable tragedy.”
Ms Bohl’s brother-in-law Sam Pasquesi said on Instagram there has been no “official confirmation” but there has been “reliable information” on the ground.
Mr Marlowe was reported missing while providing security at a music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, close to the Gaza border.
His mother told the Jewish News on Sunday the last message she got from her son was one saying he loved her.
“He was doing security at this rave yesterday and called me at 4.30am to say all these rockets were flying over,” Lisa said.
“Then, at about 5.30am, he texted to say, ‘Signal very bad, everything OK, will keep you updated I promise you’, and that he loves me.”
Meanwhile, the family of a man from Scotland said he had been killed in Israel.
Bernard Cowan, from Glasgow, was “horrifically murdered” on Saturday.
A statement from his family, released on Monday, said: “We are grieving the loss of our son and brother, Bernard Cowan, who was horrifically murdered on Saturday during the surprise terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
“We ask for privacy at this time while we process this huge loss to our family, both at home and in Israel, and to the Jewish community in Glasgow where he will be sorely missed.”
Thousands of people gathered in London on Monday for vigils and protests over the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Israeli embassy in west London was boarded up as hundreds took part in a pro-Palestine demonstration.
Fireworks were let off, flares were lit and chants of “Israel is a terrorist state”, “Free Palestine” and “Allahu akbar” rang out.
Meanwhile, around 2,000 people attended a Jewish community vigil in Westminster for Israel, arranged by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council.
