Tearful Rob Rinder says his friends were murdered in Israeli festival massacre
Rob Rinder fought back tears on Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning, as he spoke of the lives lost in the escalating conflict across Gaza and Israel.
The TV star became emotional as he told hosts Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard about the devastating loss of people he knew who were killed by militant group Hamas at an Israeli music festival last week. He also shared his mother's fears over the increasing violence in the UK aimed at the Jewish community over what is unfolding in the Middle East.
Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday and killed hundreds of Israeli citizens. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration has retaliated with a bombardment that has demolished neighbourhoods in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, and halted the entry of food, water, fuel and medicine into the territory. The war has already claimed at least 2,300 lives on both sides.
Rob told the hosts his mother felt "vulnerable" and didn't feel safe, as he shared horrifying stories of vandalism and Jewish children being told not to wear anything that reveals their religion out of concern for their safety. Rob urged viewers and those in Britain to "be a friend" to peace and the Jewish community, asking for solidarity.
Ben had said to viewers as Rob joined them on GMB on Thursday: "The attacks by Hamas on Israeli citizens and the subsequent retaliation in Gaza isn't just affecting people there. Jewish people here in the UK are also feeling the repercussions." Susanna went on: "The conflict has brought fears and in fact a rise in antisemitism with the Metropolitan Police in London offering reassurance to Jewish communities.
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Rob Rinder spoke to ITV's Good Morning Britain about the ongoing conflict (ITV)"Rob Rinder has seen what's happening first hand and his own mum is feeling vulnerable now here in the UK ." The show then played a clip where Rob's mother Angela Cohen said: "I'm so proud of being British and Jewish but for the first time I can honestly say I feel vulnerable, very vulnerable and scared."
As the cameras panned back to the studio after the segment, an emotional Rob told the hosts: "It's personal for me but it should be personal for every person, whoever you are up and down countries. My mum sitting there saying she feels unsafe... there's less than 270,000 Jews in this country.
"My nephew and kids as young as seven are going to school today and they do so under risk, there’s a chance they are going to not come home. Sending kids to school shouldn’t be an act of courage, that's the lived experience of Jewish kids, just going to school, and shop owners in London and other cities.
"We've got a lived memory of what it means not to be safe because of religion, because of being Jewish and it's worth remembering that when you think about how you are going to respond today." He then spoke of the loss of lives amid the conflict, sharing he knew people who were sadly killed by militant group Hamas at an Israeli music festival last week.
Rob told the hosts his mother felt 'vulnerable' (ITV)He said: "I have friends, many people do, relatives in Israel, but kids I know who were down at that party in Southern Israel and a number of them, an example of two there was a couple who wanted to get married. They just happened to be two women, it was a place where it was free they could do that in the state of Israel and they are no longer with us, they're dead.
"The thing about both of them is they invested all of their lives trying to bring peace. The people who were at that party were activists, were above all else experiencing what it could be to live in Israel under freedom and the rule of law, having the right to be gay, having the right to be free and the essential thing is Hamas does not speak on behalf of the Palestinian people."
He added: "Every Jewish person I know is praying for peace and the safety of every single human life, regardless of if they are Palestinian or Israeli.... be a friend, be a friend to peace and the Jewish people."
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