Three years ago today, Israel awoke to one of the darkest days in its history. On 7 October 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists and other armed attackers crossed into Israel, murdering over 1,200 men, women and children, burning families in their homes, committing acts of unspeakable brutality and taking 251 people hostage into Gaza. This was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and a day whose horror remains impossible to forget. Among those murdered were British citizens and British-Israeli nationals, including Bernard Cowan, Nathanel Young, Danny Darlington, Jake Marlowe, Aner Shapira, Dvora Abraham, Yonatan Rapoport, Lianne Sharabi, Noiya Sharabi, Yahel Sharabi, Benjamin Trakeniski, Yannai and Liel Hetzroni-Heller, Joseph Malachi Guedalia, Dor Hanan Shafir, Roi Popplewell and Rotem Kalderon. Nadav Popplewell, a British-Israeli citizen, was taken hostage and subsequently murdered in Hamas captivity. Emily Damari, a British-Israeli dual citizen from Kfar Aza, was abducted from her home and held in Gaza for 471 days before her release in January 2025. Her ordeal, and those of every hostage and every hostage family, must never be forgotten. We remember every victim by name, and every family whose lives were changed forever. In those first terrible hours and days, Israel was deeply grateful for the solidarity shown here in London. Britain unequivocally affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself, to confront Hamas, to bring the hostages home and to strengthen Israel’s security. We remain equally grateful to the many people across Britain who stood with Israel, who attended vigils, raised their voices for the hostages and refused to allow their plight to be forgotten. For the families of those murdered and kidnapped, that solidarity mattered enormously. Yet alongside this support came another deeply painful reality. On the very day of the massacre, and in the days that followed, there were demonstrations and public expressions in Britain that celebrated the attacks. Streets were filled with jubilation and marches of hate. Rhetoric surrounding Israel and Jewish people became increasingly hostile. Britain subsequently experienced a profound rise in antisemitism, with Jewish people facing intimidation and hatred in streets, schools, universities and online. This atmosphere for Jewish people continues to worsen. Those who simply expressed support for Israel’s existence and security were, too often, subjected to hostility and abuse. This has been profoundly distressing for Britain’s Jewish community and for all those who believe that Israel, like every other nation, has the right to exist in security. It is therefore a source of deep sadness that, in the years since 7 October, the position of the British Government towards Israel has changed so substantially from the solidarity expressed in those first days. We nevertheless continue to value the longstanding friendship between our two countries and the many British people who have continued to stand with Israel. Three years on, Israel remains a society marked by profound loss, but also by extraordinary resilience. Communities destroyed on 7 October have rebuilt and families have carried one another through unimaginable grief. Soldiers, emergency workers, volunteers, doctors, farmers, teachers and ordinary citizens have continued to serve their country and their communities. We remember the murdered. We remember the hostages. We remember those who returned, and those who did not. And we thank every person in Britain who, throughout these three years, stood with Israel, stood against antisemitism, and stood with the families of those taken hostage. We will remember 7 October. We will remember those we lost. And we will never forget those who stood with us.