Who are the British victims of the Israel-Hamas war? The stories of those killed
At least nine British nationals have been killed and seven are missing since Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Among the dead are a teenager, a soldier, people visiting Israel on holiday and a music festival security guard.
This is what we know so far about those confirmed dead.
Lianne and Yahel Sharabi
Yahel (L) pictured with her mother Lianne and sister Noiya
Yahel, 13, disappeared from Be’eri kibbutz after it was raided. She was confirmed to be dead on 17 October.
Her mother, Lianne Sharabi, was 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.
In a statement to the BBC, British relatives called Lianne the “light of our family’s life”.
“She had a wonderful, caring nature. She would help anyone in trouble – be it physical, emotional or financial, she would be there for them. She was funny, with a dry sense of humour,” they said.
They described Yahel as “a bundle of energy” who loved “riding her bike at breakneck speed around the kibbutz, playing football, singing and dancing to TikTok and YouTube with sister, Noiya, and, on occasions her British cousins”.
“We will never know what she could have become – a vet, an entertainer, a naturalist, maybe even the first Israeli woman in space.
“All we know is that there is a Yahel-shaped hole in our lives that can never be filled,” they said.
Danny Darlington
Danny Darlington
Photographer Danny Darlington was meant to leave for Tel Aviv the night before the attack “but decided to stay one more day to explore the kibbutz with his friend”, his sister Shelley Darlington wrote on Instagram.
It was “a decision that has irrevocably changed all our lives forever, and one that cost him his life”, she said.
She paid tribute to her “baby brother, Dan” who she said was “was murdered by terrorists on Saturday morning on our kibbutz, Nir Oz, alongside his beautiful friend Carolin”.
“Only days before he was riding his bike, laughing, taking photos of sunsets and enjoying life’s simple pleasures in our beautiful kibbutz,” she said.
“Our community has been destroyed… I am broken.”
Mr Darlington was originally from the UK but was living in Germany and on a visit to Israel.
Nathanel Young
Nathanel Young
Twenty-year-old Nathanel Young “helped save lives” before he was killed by Hamas militants, his brother Eliot told Sky News.
Corporal Young, from London, was serving as a soldier in the 13th Battalion of the Israeli Defence Forces.
Mr Young explained why his brother wanted to serve: “He always had strong Jewish pride. From a young age he has always wanted to play an important role in defending his country – it’s something he talked about a lot.”
He was a “happy, fun-loving, caring person”, he added.
“All that loving and caring that he had was definitely at its height on the day that he died.”
Corporal Young’s family said in a tribute: “Nathanel was full of life and the life of the party – he carried the nickname DJ on base and at Benji’s house, the lone soldier house that he lived at.
“He loved his family and friends and was loved by everyone. He loved music and was a talented DJ.
“Always willing to go to any lengths for his loved ones. An amazing uncle and brother. He was so happy and thriving in Israel. He loved the country.”
Corporal Young was a former pupil at JFS Jewish School in north London, a Jewish mixed comprehensive in Kenton.
According to local media, mourners at Corporal Young’s funeral in Jerusalem had to seek shelter after rockets were fired from Gaza.
Jake Marlowe
Jake Marlowe. Pic: Facebook
Jake Marlowe, 26, also studied at JFS and was working as a security guard at the Supernova music festival in Israel when it was attacked by Hamas militants.
His parents, Lisa and Michael Marlowe, said: “We are heartbroken to have to inform you the crushing news that our son Jake has been confirmed dead in southern Israel.”
They also said repatriation plans were being put in place, adding: “Please respect our privacy at this most devastating time.”
Bernard Cowan
Bernard Cowan
The family of Bernard Cowan, who was originally from Glasgow, said: “We are grieving the loss of our son and brother, who was horrifically murdered on Saturday during the surprise terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas.
“We ask for privacy at this time while we process this huge loss to our family, both at home and in Israel, and to the Jewish community in Glasgow where he will be sorely missed.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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