Families in the UK from Jewish and Palestinian backgrounds are living in fear for their relatives caught in the Middle East conflict, while also facing a surge in hate crimes at home. The past week has revived past traumas for many, as they anxiously await news of loved ones.
Adam Ma'anit, a 49-year-old from Brighton, lost his 18-year-old cousin Maayan Idan in the Hamas attack last Saturday. Her father, Tsachi Idan, remains missing, presumed held hostage in Gaza. Two decades earlier, Ma'anit had grieved another teenage cousin, Orly Ofir, killed in a 2002 Hamas bombing in Haifa. He now worries about rising antisemitism in his city, which has a Jewish community of around 2,700.
Palestinian families in the UK share the anxiety. Londoner Salem Nusseibeh, 22, fears for his cousin in Gaza, who lives with his wife, nine-year-old daughter, and teenage son. The daughter is diabetic and struggling to access medicine amid Israel's complete blockade. Abdurrahman Tamimi, also a Londoner, lost contact for 36 hours with his cousin Riyad in northern Gaza after Israel issued evacuation orders. Riyad and his family decided to stay, recalling the family's displacement in 1948.
In the UK, hate crimes have spiked. Scotland Yard reported a “massive increase” in antisemitic offences, while anti-Muslim cases tripled after the Hamas attack. Several Jewish schools closed on security grounds, and police visited 200 schools to reassure staff and pupils. Officers have briefed over 300 synagogues and mosques.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman warned that chanting “Freedom for Palestine” may be a criminal offence. A pro-Palestinian protest in Brighton led to an arrest over comments allegedly supporting Hamas's attack. Both communities say they have never felt more fearful, watching helplessly as the violence in the Middle East reverberates on UK streets.
