- Evanilson off the mark in Bournemouth win over Southampton
- 'Rust' armorer loses bid for new trial
- China stocks soar on stimulus as US indices end Q3 at records
- LeBron James 'given life' by playing with son, Olympic gold
- As toll crosses 100, Trump puts Hurricane Helene at election center stage
- US Fed Chair sees 'further disinflation' in economy
- Israeli forces in 'limited' Lebanon ground operations against Hezbollah: US
- Guardiola promises strong City side in Slovan Champions League tie
- Brazilians choke as fire smoke blankets 80% of country
- Netflix loses bid to toss 'Baby Reindeer' defamation lawsuit
- Renault to end Formula One engine production from 2026
- Epic Games sues Google and Samsung over app store
- PSG's Dembele axed for Arsenal clash over disciplinary reasons: Luis Enrique
- Bulked-up Wemby eyes Spurs playoff return
- Officials see no shortages from likely US port strike
- Mexico president gives 1,438th - and last - edition of 'AMLO Show'
- UK families of Gaza hostages warn Lebanon attack 'takes focus away'
- Dissident brother of Nicaragua's Ortega dead: army
- 100 deaths put Hurricane Helene at election center stage
- Seven killed in gang-ridden Ecuador's latest massacre
- Gaza children 'extremely impacted' by war: UNICEF
- Haiti security mission extended for one year as WFP sounds alarm
- South Africa pick three spinners for Bangladesh Test series
- Shares in Stellantis, Aston Martin skid on profit warnings
- Oasis announces North American concert dates
- Israel threatens 'all means' against Hezbollah after Nasrallah killing
- Basketball great Mutombo dies aged 58: NBA
- Dali prints found in London garage sold at auction
- ECB chief backs bank mergers amid UniCredit, Commerzbank talk
- Sinner defies doping case to join Alcaraz, Medvedev in Beijing semis
- Nepal surveys flood wreckage as death toll reaches 209
- 'Billions of birds' killed for fashion says designer McCartney
- Haiti security mission extended for one year
- Russia plans sharp defence spending hike in 2025
- Britain and Italy inseparable in Louis Vuitton Cup final
- Humbert to face Fils in all-French Japan Open final
- African players in Europe: Salah takes Liverpool to top
- China stocks soar on stimulus, but US and Europe retreat
- California governor vetoes AI safety bill
- 100 dead in storm Helene damage, flooding across US southeast
- Sinner defies doping case to join Alcaraz, Medvedev in China Open last four
- Boris is back with a book but UK Tories say he's history
- Austria faces uncertainty after historic far-right election win
- Sinner defies doping case to reach Beijing last four
- Dortmund's Sahin grateful for Rodgers impact ahead of Celtic clash
- Arteta says last-gasp heroics shape Arsenal 'character' as PSG loom
- Jaiswal leads India batting charge in rain-hit Bangladesh Test
- Flick excited for De Jong Barca return against Young Boys
- China stocks soar on stimulus, Europe slides on automaker woes
- German antitrust watchdog steps up monitoring of Microsoft
RBGPF | 7.18% | 64.75 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 7.05 | $ | |
CMSC | -0.21% | 24.72 | $ | |
BCC | -0.36% | 140.98 | $ | |
SCS | 2.52% | 13.49 | $ | |
GSK | 0.42% | 40.88 | $ | |
NGG | -0.09% | 69.67 | $ | |
CMSD | -1.21% | 24.78 | $ | |
RIO | -0.08% | 71.17 | $ | |
RELX | -0.21% | 47.46 | $ | |
BCE | -1.12% | 34.8 | $ | |
JRI | 0.66% | 13.67 | $ | |
VOD | -0.7% | 10.02 | $ | |
BTI | -0.71% | 36.58 | $ | |
AZN | 0.37% | 77.91 | $ | |
BP | -0.1% | 31.39 | $ |
UK families of Gaza hostages warn Lebanon attack 'takes focus away'
Families of hostages with British links held by Hamas in Gaza on Monday warned that Israel's escalation of hostilities with Hezbollah could distract from their loved ones being freed.
Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents were taken hostage during Hamas's attack on Israel last year, warned that an Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon would "take away" the focus from the remaining hostages.
Her mother, Yocheved, was released, but father Oded, 84, remains in captivity.
Next week marks one year since Hamas's attack resulted in 1,205 deaths and 251 people taken hostage, with 97 still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,615 people, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
Israel has now turned its attention to Lebanon, launching deadly air strikes on Hezbollah strongholds across the country.
However, for Steve Brisley, whose brother-in-law Eli Sharabi is still being held captive in Gaza, that "takes focus away from what is the most important thing, which is the release of the hostages."
He said there had been an "abject failure of international diplomacy" in securing a hostage return deal and felt as though the hostages had "been forgotten".
Brisley called for the UK government, which has called for a ceasefire and the release of the remaining hostages, to find a "new and innovative" approach to end the crisis.
Lifschitz said there was a lack "of will from both sides", referring to Israel and Hamas.
Meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy earlier in the day, the family members pushed for the government to prioritise bringing their relatives back home.
"I hold the prime minister responsible for the life of these hostages", said Lifschitz, adding she was feeling "encouraged" by the meeting.
Starmer told the families that "we need to see the hostages returned immediately and unconditionally".
The relatives also received a message from Britain's head of state King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla, who said they "continue to keep them and all hostage families in our special thoughts".
L.Davis--AMWN