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McDowell, a TUV councillor, said the delegation was seeking to build links with "the world's only Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East". He added for his part he had been "upfront and transparent that I was invited by the Israeli Embassy in London to visit the country as a guest of their government". The TUV representative posted photos of the delegation's visit to "a school for gifted youngsters", adding their classroom was "a bomb shelter". He also shared a photo of himself and Givan spinning plates with the students. McDowell said the delegation then spent the evening "meeting with research and media analysts who challenge fake news released from organisations like the BBC". The current military campaign in Gaza began following a Hamas-led attack on Israel 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were abducted. Israel responded by launching ground and air strikes which have led to 68,500 deaths so far, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Last month, the world's leading association of genocide scholars declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. At the time, the UN and some Western nations said that they would only consider a ruling by a court that genocide is taking place as authoritative.
