British girl, 13, confirmed dead following Hamas attack on Israel

Yahel Sharabi and her mother were killed when Hamas gunmen stormed the kibbutz where she lived.

A Palestinian man inspects the remains of a destroyed house hit by an Israeli air strike in the town of Khan Younis (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman) (AP)

A British teenager was among those murdered by Hamas during its attack on Israel.

Yahel Sharabi, 13, was killed along with her mother, Lianne, while her elder sister, Noiya, 16, and her father, Eli, are still missing.

The teenager disappeared after militants attacked Kibbutz Be’eri and murdered her British-born mother.

The girl’s death has been confirmed by her family, the Israeli embassy in London said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak updated Cabinet on Tuesday with the latest developments from the conflict, telling ministers Hamas were responsible for the “murder and suspected abduction of British nationals”.

At least six Britons were killed in the Hamas attacks on October 7, with a further 10 missing – some feared dead.

Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell told the BBC the Government is “extremely concerned” about British hostages being held by Hamas and on Sky News he said “we pray that they are alive”.

Mr Mitchell was unable to elaborate on the efforts to secure their release, but insisted to LBC: “The entire resources of the British Government are involved in doing everything we can to get our citizens back.”

At least 1,400 people were killed, many of them civilians, and thousands more injured in Hamas’s attack.

At least 2,778 Palestinians have died as Israel launched air strikes on Gaza and cut off fuel, water, food and medical supplies from entering the cramped territory, which is home to more than two million people.

British officials are working to secure the opening of the Rafah crossing to allow Britons to flee to Egypt and for humanitarian aid to get into Gaza.

Mr Mitchell told Times Radio that Israel had “both a moral and a practical responsibility” on the issue.

“We stand absolutely foursquare behind Israel’s right to defend itself, but all of us want to see the fighting contained.”

Britain urged Israel to restore the supply of water to Gaza, and refused to say whether its ally is complying with international law during its siege.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said talks are ongoing with Israel as the UK is “keen to see water restored”, as he declined to say whether Israel had kept within legal limits.

“We continue to urge Israel, as a democracy we work closely with, to act within international law in their actions, I think they are taking steps to do that,” he said.

Mr Mitchell told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel could be a “significant fillip” to getting humanitarian relief through.

Mr Biden is travelling to Israel and Jordan on Wednesday amid concerns the Israel-Hamas conflict could spiral into a wider regional issue.

As well as his talks in Israel, the US president will meet King Abdullah of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz travelled to Israel for an impromptu visit on Tuesday, while French President Emmanuel Macron said he will travel to the region “as soon as I consider that we have a useful agenda and very concrete actions to drive forward”.

Downing Street would not comment publicly on whether Mr Sunak would head to the region.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’ll set out travel plans in the usual way, I couldn’t get into speculation.”

Israeli air strikes continued early on Tuesday, even inside the evacuation zone where Israel had told residents to gather in advance of the expected ground assault on Gaza.