Rayner speaks of heartbreaking sight of more hostage bodies returning from Gaza

Angela Rayner has spoken of the heart-breaking sight of the bodies of more hostages returning from Gaza as she stood in for Keir Starmer at PMQs.

Speaking after the IDF confirmed it had recovered the bodies of three hostages murdered and taken to Gaza during the 7 October Hamas attacks, the Deputy Leader told the Commons: “Seeing the return of more hostages’ bodies and that of Shai Levinson and the Israeli British family, is heartbreaking.

“The remaining hostages must be released, and aid must be delivered at greater speed and volume.”

The remains of Ofra Keidar, 71, Jonathan Samerano, 22, and Staff Sgt. Shay Levinson, 19, were retrieved in a joint mission enabled by what the IDF described as “precise intelligence.”

Levinson, a tank commander, was killed fighting Hamas near the Nova site on October 7th, 2023.

Deputising for the PM, who was at the NATO conference at The Hague, Rayner said the situation in Gaza “remains the gravest concern.”

After the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, she added: “At this time of international volatility, we are working with our allies to de-escalate the tensions in the Middle East and to ensure the conflict does not intensify further.

“Our aim continues to be preventing Iran from securing nuclear weapons and to urge the Iranians to return to negotiations.”

Elsewhere at PMQs, Rayner refused to describe the “appalling” situation in Gaza as a genocide, saying such a label needed to be determined by competent lawyers in the international courts.

She was responding to a question put to her by Jeremy Corbyn who said the UK should not be selling F-35 parts to Israel given that those jets were used to attack Gaza.

The Islington North MP asked if Rayner would back his bill for a public inquiry into the UK’s complicity with Israeli war crimes.

She also described the attack by Palestine Action on Brize Norton as “disgraceful” but added that the attempt by Reform UK to blame the female officer commanding the base was “even more disgraceful”, saying that they should have been blaming the criminals, not “an accomplished woman who has served her country.”

There are now 50 hostages being held in Gaza – 49 of whom were captured during the attack by Hamas, according to the Israeli government. Twenty-eight are confirmed to have died.