Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell has condemned the “barbarism” of Hamas following reports of the death of British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell.
In a discussion with Camilla Tominey on GB News, he said: “My heart goes out to the family at this extraordinary time with the barbarism of these appalling terrorists who have treated the family in such a cynical, cruel and heartless way.
“We must wait for further information to become available but what an appalling, dreadful experience for his poor family to have to suffer at the hands of this absolutely dreadful terrorist organisation.”
Asked if the Israeli response to the 7 October Hamas attacks was disproportionate, he said: “We've made it very clear, as have our allies, the Americans, but without a plan, it would be a big mistake to launch a military attack on Rafah, and we have not yet seen that plan.
“But equally, we make it absolutely clear that Israel has the right to self defence, the events that took place, the pogrom that took place on 7 October was a terrible, terrible deed.
“More Jewish people got murdered on that day than on any other day since the end of the Second World War and the Holocaust. So we are very clear that Israel has the right to self-defence, but equally that it must act within the boundaries of international humanitarian law.”
He added: “We've been very clear that we do think that it is right to recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations at the right time.
“That doesn't have to be at the end of the process for peace. It could be as part of those negotiations and Britain will support Palestine becoming a state of the UN when we feel the time is right.
“That isn't now, but it may as I say before the end of the peace process which we very much hope will come when the fighting stops and this dreadful set of circumstances, the catastrophe in Gaza is over, there will then be a chance for people to lift their eyes to a political process.”
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