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The number of British people killed as a result of the Hamas attack on Israel has risen to nine, Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson has said.

A further seven remain missing after the incursion from Gaza into Israel on 7 October, the spokesperson added.

Until Wednesday, authorities said seven British nationals had been confirmed killed, with nine missing.

Middle East enters ‘dangerous moment’ – follow live conflict updates

“We can now confirm that at least nine British nationals were tragically killed,” the prime minister’s spokesperson told reporters on Thursday.

“A further seven British nationals are missing, some of whom are feared to be among the dead or kidnapped.”

Among the British nationals killed so far are a teenager, a soldier, people visiting Israel on holiday and a music festival security guard.

In other developments in the Israel-Hamas war:

Humanitarian aid being readied for opening of Rafah crossing from Egypt to Gaza
World Health Organisation says five aid lorries are ‘loaded and ready to go’
Israel’s defence minister tells troops: ‘You will soon see Gaza from inside’
Air raid sirens heard on Israel’s border with Lebanon

Yahel Sharabi, 13, and her mother, Lianne, were two of the British nationals killed during Hamas‘s attack.

She disappeared from Be’eri kibbutz after it was raided and was confirmed to be dead on 17 October. Lianne was also killed in the attack on the kibbutz.

Yahel’s sister Noiya Sharabi, 16, and their father, Eli Sharabi, were also kidnapped and are still missing.

Clockwise from top left: Jake Marlowe, Yahel Sharabi, Nathanel Young, Danny Darlington, Bernard Cowan, Lianne Sharabi
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Clockwise from top left: Jake Marlowe, Yahel Sharabi, Nathanel Young, Danny Darlington, Bernard Cowan, Lianne Sharabi

Photographer Danny Darlington, who was originally from the UK but was living in Germany and on a visit to Israel, was killed in Nir Oz kibbutz.

Other British nationals killed include 20-year-old Nathanel Young, who was serving in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), festival security guard Jake Marlowe, 26, and Bernard Cowan, who was originally from Glasgow.

Sunak visits Israel

Rishi Sunak made a visit to Israel on Thursday, where he held talks with the country’s prime minister and president.

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‘The UK stands with you’ – Rishi Sunak

Speaking as he arrived at an airport near Tel Aviv, he said: “I’m here to express my solidarity with the Israeli people.

“You have suffered an unspeakable, horrific act of terrorism and I want you to know that the United Kingdom, and I, stand with you.”

Mr Sunak met Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rishi Sunak meets Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel
Pic: No 10 Downing Street
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Rishi Sunak meets Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. Pic: No 10 Downing Street

After their meeting, Mr Netanyahu thanked Mr Sunak for his support, while Mr Sunak said he was “proud” to stand with Israel in its “darkest hour”.

He also welcomed the opening of a humanitarian corridor into Gaza.

Gaza under siege

Gaza is under siege and has been bombarded with airstrikes after Hamas militants launched the surprise attack on 7 October.

Hamas fighters captured 203 hostages and brought them back to Gaza as part of the attack. Israel said 1,400 of its citizens were killed in the weekend raid.

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Israeli airstrike hits Gaza mosque

The Gaza health ministry said at least 3,785 people have been killed in Gaza since the latest war began, the majority of them women, children and older adults. Nearly 12,500 others have been injured.

Mr Sunak’s visit comes following the explosion at the al Ahli hospital in Gaza City, where hundreds of Palestinians had taken refuge following the outbreak of the conflict.

Read more:
Who are the British victims of the Israel-Hamas war?
Rishi Sunak says to Israel: ‘The UK stands with you’
Number of displaced in Gaza reaches new high
What is the two-state solution?

Hamas officials claimed the hospital blast killed hundreds of people and was caused by an Israeli airstrike – but the Israeli military blamed a misfiring rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group and released imagery and communications intercepts to support their case.

US President Joe Biden visited the region this week. He also spoke to Mr Netanyahu.

Mr Biden had been set to meet Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian leaders, but the summit was scrapped following the explosion at the hospital.

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Body pulled from mine after police cut off supplies to ‘smoke out’ thousands of illegal miners

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Body pulled from mine after police cut off supplies to 'smoke out' thousands of illegal miners

A body has been recovered from a South African mine after police cut off basic supplies in an effort to force around 4,000 illegal miners to resurface.

The body has emerged from the closed gold mine in the northwest town of Stilfontein a day after South Africa’s government said it would not help the illegal miners.

Around 20 people have surfaced from the mineshaft this week as police wait nearby to arrest all those appearing from underground.

It comes a day after a cabinet minister said the government was trying to “smoke them [the miners] out”.

The move is part of the police’s “Close the Hole” operation, whereby officers cut off supplies of food, water and other basic necessities to get those who have entered illegally to come out.

Local reports suggest the supply routes were cut off at the mine around two months ago, with relatives of the miners seen in the area as the stand-off continues.

Relatives of miners and community members wait at the 
 mine shaft. 
Pic: AP
Image:
Relatives of miners and community members wait at the mine shaft. Pic: AP

A decomposed body was brought up on Thursday, with pathologists on the scene, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said.

It comes after South African cabinet minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters on Wednesday that the government would not send any help to the illegal miners, known in the country as zama zamas, because they are involved in a criminal act.

“We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out. They will come out. Criminals are not to be helped; criminals are to be prosecuted. We didn’t send them there,” Ms Ntshavheni said.

An aerial view of a mine shaft where an estimated 4000 illegal miners are refusing to leave in Stilfontein, South Africa,.
Pic: AP
Image:
An aerial view of a mineshaft. Pic: AP

Senior police and defence officials are expected to visit the area on Friday to “reinforce the government’s commitment to bringing this operation to a safe and lawful conclusion”, according to a media advisory from the police.

In the last few weeks, over 1,000 miners have surfaced at various mines in South Africa’s North West province, where police have cut off supplies.

Many of the miners were reported to be weak, hungry and sickly after going for weeks without basic supplies.

Illegal mining remains common in South Africa’s old gold-mining areas, with miners going into closed shafts to dig for any possible remaining deposits.

Read more world news:
Argentina walks out of COP29 climate summit
How Ukraine is downing Russian drones
Video of Israeli hostage released by terror group

Relatives of miners and community members wait at a mine shaft where the estimated 4000 illegal miners  are refusing to leave.
Pic: AP
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Relatives of miners and community members wait near the mine shaft. Pic: AP

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The illegal miners are often from neighbouring countries, and police say the illegal operations involve larger syndicates that employ the miners.

Their presence in closed mines has also created problems with nearby communities, which complain that the illegal miners commit crimes ranging from robberies to rape.

Illegal mining groups are known to be heavily armed and disputes between rival groups sometimes result in fatal confrontations.

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Ukrainian frontline commander warns: ‘The world is scared of Russia and losing is not only our problem’

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Ukrainian frontline commander warns: 'The world is scared of Russia and losing is not only our problem'

In the courtyard of a farmhouse now home to soldiers of the Ukrainian army’s 47th mechanised brigade, I’m introduced to a weary-looking unit by their commander Captain Oleksandr “Sasha” Shyrshyn.

We are about 10km from the border with Russia, and beyond it lies the Kursk region Ukraine invaded in the summer – and where this battalion is now fighting.

The 47th is a crack fighting assault unit.

They’ve been brought to this area from the fierce battles in the country’s eastern Donbas region to bolster Ukrainian forces already here.

War latest: Russia ready to carry out ‘massive attack’

The captain known by his men as 'Genius'
Image:
The captain known by his men as ‘Genius’

In the summer, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russian territory, in Kursk
Image:
In the summer, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russian territory, in Kursk

Captain Shyrshyn explains that among the many shortages the military has to deal with, the lack of infantry is becoming a critical problem.

Sasha is just 30 years old, but he is worldly-wise. He used to run an organisation helping children in the country’s east before donning his uniform and going to war.

He is famous in Ukraine and is regarded as one of the country’s top field commanders, who isn’t afraid to express his views on the war and how it’s being waged.

His nom de guerre is ‘Genius’, a nickname given to him by his men.

Captain Sasha Shyrshyn and Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay
Image:
Captain Sasha Shyrshyn and Sky News chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay

‘Don’t worry, it’s not a minefield’

Sasha invited me to see one of the American Bradley fighting vehicles his unit uses.

We walk down a muddy lane before he says it’s best to go cross-country.

“We can go that way, don’t worry it’s not a minefield,” he jokes.

He leads us across a muddy field and into a forest where the vehicle is hidden from Russian surveillance drones that try to hunt both American vehicles and commanders.

Sasha shows me a picture of the house they had been staying in only days before – it was now completely destroyed after a missile strike.

Fortunately, neither he, nor any of his men, were there at the time.

“They target commanders,” he says with a smirk.

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‘The world is scared of Russia’

It takes me a moment or two to realise we are only a few steps away from the Bradley, dug in and well hidden beneath the trees.

The disguised American Bradley vehicle hidden in the forest
Image:
The disguised American Bradley vehicle hidden in the forest

Sasha tells me the Bradley is the finest vehicle he has ever used.

A vehicle so good, he says, it’s keeping the Ukrainian army going in the face of Russia’s overwhelming numbers of soldiers.

He explains: “Almost all our work on the battlefield is cooperation infantry with the Bradley. So we use it for evacuations, for moving people from one place to another, as well as for fire-covering.

“This vehicle is very safe and has very good characteristics.”

The American Bradley fighting vehicle that Ukrainian soldiers have found vital in their efforts
Image:
The American Bradley fighting vehicle that Ukrainian soldiers have found vital in their efforts

Billions of dollars in military aid has been given to Ukraine by the United States, and this vehicle is one of the most valuable assets the US has provided.

Ukraine is running low on men to fight, and the weaponry it has is not enough, especially if it can’t fire long-range missiles into Russia itself – which it is currently not allowed to do.

If President-elect Donald Trump cuts the supply of military aid, the Ukrainians will lose – it’s that simple.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump gestures as he meets with House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2024. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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US President-elect Donald Trump has been clear he intends to change his nation’s policy on the war in Ukraine. Pic: Reuters

Sasha says: “We have a lack of weapons, we have a lack of artillery, we have a lack of infantry, and as the world doesn’t care about justice, and they don’t want to finish the war by our win, they are afraid of Russia.

“I’m sorry but they’re scared, they’re scared, and it’s not the right way.”

Like pretty much everyone in Ukraine, Sasha is waiting to see what the US election result will mean for his country.

He is sceptical about a deal with Russia.

“Our enemy only understands the language of power. And you cannot finish the war in 24 hours, or during the year without hard decisions, without a fight, so it’s impossible. It’s just talking without results,” he tells me.

Read more from Stuart Ramsay:
How Ukrainian units are downing Russia’s drones
Heartbreaking final moments of girl who tried to flee Gaza
Inside a brutal and deadly Mexican gang war

‘Losing will be not only our problem’

These men expect the fierce battles inside Kursk to intensify in the coming days.

Indeed, alongside the main supply route into Kursk, workers are already building new defensive positions – unfurling miles of razor wire and digging bunkers for the Ukrainian army if it finds itself in retreat.

Barbed wire rolled out in the Sumy region ahead of expected fighting
Image:
Barbed wire rolled out in the Sumy region ahead of expected fighting

Tank traps in the Sumy region
Image:
Tank traps in the Sumy region

Sasha and his men are realistic about support fatigue from the outside world but will keep fighting to the last if they have to.

“I understand this is only our problem, it’s only our issue, and we have to fight this battle, like we have to defend ourselves, it’s our responsibility,” Sasha said.

But he points out everyone should realise just how critical this moment in time is.

“If we look at it widely, we have to understand that us losing will be not only our problem, but it will be for all the world.”

Stuart Ramsay reports from northeastern Ukraine with camera operator Toby Nash, and producers Dominique Van Heerden, Azad Safarov, and Nick Davenport.

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Spain flooding: New weather warnings issued – as country counts flooding cost

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Spain flooding: New weather warnings issued - as country counts flooding cost

A weather warning has been issued for parts of Spain, as the country counts the cost of recent flooding.

The orange warnings are in place for parts of southwestern Spain – the area around Seville down towards Gibraltar.

Up to 8cm (3ins) of rain could fall within 12 hours, but the weekend looks much more settled in the country.

The latest warnings come just two weeks after flash flooding in Valencia and other parts of the country killed more than 200 people.

Malaga saw 14.2cm (5.6ins) of rainfall on Wednesday – Spain’s highest of the day – most of which fell in six hours.

All train services were halted in Malaga. Some flights have now resumed after the initial disruption.

Floods in central Malaga, Spain. Pic: Jamie Marchant
Image:
Pic: Jamie Marchant

Emergency services in the province have moved 3,000 people from homes at risk of flooding close to the Guadalhorce River in the west of the city.

Jamie Marchant, 29, from Caerphilly in South Wales travelled to Malaga last Wednesday.

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He told Sky News that “debris” had been left behind by the recent rainfall in the region.

“Everyone is pitching in to clean up and some shops are opening as usual,” he added.

Orange warnings for the Valencia region in eastern Spain expired earlier on Thursday.

Read more from Sky News:
Call for dog-free areas to tackle racism
Argentina walks out of COP29 summit

The adverse weather could lead to total insured losses of more than €4bn (£3.33bn), according to credit rating agency Morningstar DBRS.

Much of the claims are expected to be covered by the Spanish government’s insurance pool, the agency said, but insurance premiums are likely to increase.

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