The fate of two British hostages in Gaza remains shrouded in mystery, as the British Foreign Minister, Lord David Cameron, refused to comment on their condition or whereabouts.
Speaking to the Foreign Affairs Committee, Lord Cameron said: “There are two British nationals who remain as hostages. I don’t want to make any further comment on them.” He also declined to answer whether they were still alive, saying: “I just don’t want to say any more. We don’t have any information to share with you.”
The two Britons are among the estimated 240 people who were captured by Hamas militants during their surprise attacks on Israel on October 7. Since then, only 105 prisoners have been freed, following a fragile ceasefire agreement in November.
Lord Cameron also revealed that there were two other British citizens in Gaza who had requested to leave the besieged territory, but had been unable to do so. He said that the British government had managed to evacuate “a lot” of its nationals, but admitted that there were still “quite a number” of dual citizens who had not sought assistance.
The Foreign Secretary also expressed his concern over the possibility that Israel had violated international law in its military response to Hamas, which has claimed the lives of around 23,000 people in Gaza, according to Hamas-linked sources.
He said: “Am I worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law, because this particular premises has been bombed or whatever? Yes, of course I’m worried about that and that is why I consult the Foreign Office lawyers when giving this advice on arms exports.”
He added: “So if you put it that way, I am happy to say yes, of course, every day I look at what has happened and ask questions about is this in line with international humanitarian law, could the Israelis have done better to avoid civilian casualties, of course I do that.”
