London’s Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has come under fire from the capital’s Israeli embassy, after they accused him of parroting “Hamas propaganda” in a video message celebrating Eid.
The Labour Mayor was slammed by the embassy after he failed to directly condemn the terrorist group while criticising Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
The row kicked off on March 30, when Khan posted a video message on social media celebrating Eid al-Fitr and the end of the holy month of Ramadan. In the video, he touched on multiple topics, one of which included the plight of many Muslims in Gaza who had been killed as a result of Israel’s military operation.
In the short clip he said: “More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza as a result of Israel’s ongoing military campaign, including more than 15,000 children”, a reference to statistics provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
He added: “These betrayals of humanity should weigh heavily on our collective conscience. But I’m proud that, while the international community has chosen to avert its gaze, Londoners have not.”
It was these comment in particular that the Israeli embassy took issue with, as they criticised Khan for failing to condemn Hamas, while also neglecting to mention the 59 hostages still being held in Gaza. They also rebuked the statistic saying that the claimed death toll was taken from “Hamas propaganda” and not based on facts.
Figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health have been used throughout the conflict to assess the scale of fatalities during the war, with many notable organisations including the BBC and United Nations acknowledging them as credible.
Israel however has always disputed the numbers.
An embassy spokesman said: “Firstly, we would like to emphasise to Mr Khan that the war is a result of the brutal and horrific attack by Hamas, a proscribed terror organisation in the UK, which was imposed on Israel on Oct 7.
“It is alarming that, throughout the message, there is no mention of Hamas or any condemnation of terrorism and a call for the release of 59 hostages that are being held in horrific and inhumane conditions.”
In their rebuttal, the embassy also stated that Hamas militants had “murdered people of all faiths and none with impunity” on October 7.
The spokesman added: “On that day, among the many innocent men, women, and children murdered, Hamas also murdered over 20 Muslim Israelis and kidnapped an additional six.
“Indeed, in recent days, Hamas has tortured and murdered many Gazans protesting against the terror group, including Uday al-Rabbay. The values that Mr Khan speaks of must not be applied selectively.”
Al-Rabby, 22, was abducted and killed last month after he had been involved in a protest against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hamas reportedly tortured him for four hours before finally returning his body, covered in blood to his grieving family’s home.
In response to the embassy’s criticism, a spokesman for the Mayor insisted he had strongly condemned the actions of Hamas, saying: “The Mayor has repeatedly conveyed his outrage at attacks by Hamas on Israel and has strongly condemned these acts of terrorism.
“He is deeply saddened by the loss of all lives, and continues to support calls for a permanent ceasefire.”
