British national Jake Marlowe missing after Hamas attack on music festival in Israel
A 26-year-old British citizen is missing after Hamas attacked a music festival in Israel, the Israeli Embassy in the UK has confirmed.
London-born Jake Marlowe has not been seen since the invasion early on Saturday morning when he was providing security for a music event in the desert near Kibbutz Re’im, close to the Gaza border.
Israeli media has reported that at least 300 people were killed, including 26 soldiers, during the attack, prompting PM Benjamin Netanyahu to say they were at “war” as the country launched a military response.
The Israeli embassy in London confirmed that the 26-year-old who is reported to have moved to Israel two years ago was missing, but it had not been confirmed that he had been kidnapped.
A spokesperson said: “He is missing, we don’t know for sure that he is taken hostage or dead or in a hospital.”
Lisa, the mother of the former pupil at the JFS School in Kenton, north London, told the Jewish News: “He was doing security at this rave yesterday and called me at 4.30am to say all these rockets were flying over.
“Then, at about 5.30am, he texted to say ‘signal very bad, everything OK, will keep you updated I promise you’, and that he loves me.”
Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom Tzipi Hotovely confirmed that a British citizen “is in Gaza” following kidnappings by Hamas in Israel, but did not clarify if they were being held hostage.
She told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “I know there is one British citizen who is in Gaza at the moment.
“The Israeli government is doing everything we can to help those who are held hostage and every citizen who is taken is returned.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the UK would support Israel in whatever it decides is necessary to defend itself against Hamas attacks.
He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “We support their right of self-defence and will support them in whatever they decide to do to defend their country against terrorist attacks.”
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said they would not comment on individual cases but added: “However, we can confirm we are in contact with – and assisting – the families of several individuals in Israel and the OPTs (Occupied Palestinian Territories).
“The safety of all British nationals continues to be our utmost priority and we urge everyone to continue to follow our travel advice which is updated regularly.”
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