Green Party candidate who said October 7 attacks were 'courageous' lands cabinet role in charge of children and families in Birmingham

By DAVID OLASEINDE and FRAN WOLFISZ Published: 10:44, 8 June 2026 | Updated: 10:44, 8 June 2026 A newly elected Green Party councillor who previously described the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel as 'courageous' has been appointed to a senior role overseeing children and families at Birmingham City Council. Kamel Hawwash, who won a council seat in last month's local elections, was named Cabinet Member for Children and Families as part of Birmingham's new coalition administration involving the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Independents. The appointment has sparked criticism over Hawwash's past comments on the Israel-Gaza conflict. On October 16, 2023, less than two weeks after Hamas launched its deadly assault on Israel, Hawwash shared a post on his website titled '10 days since Al-Aqsa Flood: Courage in the face of aggression.'  Hamas referred to the October 7 attacks as 'Operation Al-Aqsa Flood'. Hawwash, a former professor of civil engineering at the University of Birmingham and former chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, has previously made several controversial statements regarding Israel. Among them were claims that Israel had 'killed its own citizens, including children' during the October 7 attacks, allegations that have been widely disputed.  He has also described Zionism as 'Jewish supremacy' and suggested that 'millions' would mourn the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, despite Hamas being a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. Kamel Hawwash was named Cabinet Member for Children and Families as part of Birmingham's new coalition administration In 2016 he described Islamic Jihad terrorist Mohand Halabi, who was shot dead by police after knifing two Israeli men to death and injuring a woman and toddler, as a 'martyr' carrying out an 'act of revenge' His deputy, Liberal Democrat councillor Mumtaz Hussain, has also faced scrutiny over her stance on issues related to Israel.  Hussain led calls to prevent supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League fixture at Villa Park in November.  As a member of the safety advisory group, she supported efforts urging West Midlands Police to ban away fans from the match.  The decision proved highly controversial, prompting accusations that police had yielded to pressure from pro-Palestinian activists and contributing to the resignation of Chief Constable Craig Guildford. Another newly elected Green councillor, Atikur Rahman, has been appointed Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing and Homelessness.  Rahman previously attracted attention after liking a social media post defending musician Bobby Vylan following his controversial 'death to the IDF' chant at Glastonbury Festival.  The post argued that Vylan had merely highlighted what it described as 'the genocide in Gaza' amid widespread criticism of the Israeli military's actions. Hawwash resigned from the Labour Party in October 2023, citing what he described as Sir Keir Starmer's 'blind support for Israel' following the Hamas attacks.  Liberal Democrat councillor Mumtaz Hussain led calls to prevent supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League fixture at Villa Park in November He subsequently stood as an independent candidate in Birmingham's Selly Oak constituency at the 2024 general election before later joining the Green Party. In 2017, Hawwash was reportedly denied entry to Israel due to his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, according to accounts he gave following the incident. Lord Austin of Dudley, a former Labour MP in the West Midlands, cited his appointment as hugely divisive. Speaking to The Times, he said: 'Decent Brummies will be appalled that people with such divisive views have seized power in Britain's second city. 'It beggars belief that the person in charge of children and families is a man who allegedly thinks it was courageous for Islamist terrorists to slaughter and rape hundreds of people in the October 7 atrocities in Israel, and his deputy is a woman who led the ban on Israeli football fans from the city last year. 'It makes me fear for the future of Birmingham.' Kamel Hawwash and Mumtaz Hussain have been contacted for comment. No comments have so far been submitted. 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