PM says ‘we must stand with Jewish community’ as he marks October 7 anniversary

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said that “we must unequivocally stand with the Jewish community” and reiterated his calls for a ceasefire as he marked the first anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

Monday is one year since the Hamas attacks in Israel, which triggered Israel’s subsequent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

Sir Keir described October 7 2023 as “the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust” and said that “collective grief has not diminished” in the year since, and reiterated his calls for a ceasefire.

The anniversary comes against a backdrop of escalating violence in the Middle East, with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office having helped hundreds of people to leave Lebanon in recent days.

A fourth charter flight for Britons wanting to leave Lebanon departed Beirut on Sunday.

The Government has said that it is the last of the planned flights due to a decrease in demand, but the situation will be monitored.

In a statement marking the first anniversary of October 7, the Prime Minister reflected on the killings.

“Men, women, children and babies killed, mutilated, and tortured by the terrorists of Hamas.

“Jewish people murdered whilst protecting their families, young people massacred at a music festival, people abducted from their homes,” The Prime Minister said.

“As a father, a husband, a son, a brother, meeting the families of those who lost their loved ones last week was unimaginable.

“Their grief and pain are ours, and it is shared in homes across the land.

“A year on, that collective grief has not diminished or waned.”

He said that “we must unequivocally stand with the Jewish community and unite as a country” and “never look the other way in the face of hate”.

Sir Keir also said that “we must also not look the other way as civilians bear the ongoing dire consequences of this conflict in the Middle East” as he  reiterated his calls for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon and “for the removal of all restrictions on humanitarian aid into Gaza”.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said on Sunday evening that the UK has “helped over 430 people to leave Lebanon” over the last week.

British nationals who remain in Lebanon are being advised to register their presence to receive up-to-date information, and to take the “next available commercial flight”.

In a post on X on Sunday evening, the FCDO said: “Over the last week the UK has helped over 430 people to leave Lebanon.

“Our fourth UK charter flight has now left Beirut.

“Due to reduced demand, no further flights are scheduled, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

The FCDO has also advised against non-essential travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories alongside an advisory against all travel to northern Israel, the West Bank and the area in and around Gaza.

Commemorative events remembering October 7 took place across the UK on Sunday, with thousands gathering in London’s Hyde Park and memorial ceremonies being held in Manchester and Leeds.