London, Thanasis Gavos

The UK government has announced that British nationals missing after Hamas attacks in Israel it’s six

A government spokesman retracted a statement this morning by Finance Undersecretary Victoria Atkins that all six missing people were believed to be being held hostage by Hamas.

Mrs. Atkins had also confirmed that now the official tally of British killed during Hamas attacks on Israel has increased to ten.

They include two sisters aged 13 and 16 and their mother, a photographer visiting a kibbutz, two young men serving in the Israeli army, a security guard at the Supernova music festival targeted by Hamas, a man from Glasgow who lived in Israel with his wife and three children and a father of two who was in Kibbutz Be’eri.

Ms Atkins had said the estimate of six British hostages was based on an analysis of a rapidly changing situation. He noted that the missing persons are the “absolute priority” of the British government.

Speaking to the BBC the daughter of Josved Lifsic, one of the two hostages released yesterday by Hamas, said her mother “looks fine” although she is very tired after visiting her in the Israeli hospital she has been transferred to.

Sharon Lifsitch, who lives in London, added that her mother wants to share information about other Hamas hostages with their families, and called her release “a small ray of light,” noting, however, that great darkness remains as the war continues. .

Sharon’s father and Yeshved’s husband remains missing after being abducted by Hamas.

On Monday night, Hamas negotiator Khaled Meshaal told Britain’s Sky News that the organization’s more than 200 hostages could be released if Israel “stops this aggression.”

As he said, “we want this indiscriminate bombing, the utter destruction, the genocide to stop, so that the soldiers of al-Qassam (the armed wing of Hamas) can take them from their places and hand them over to the Red Cross or to anybody”.