Oxford Union head being investigated by counter terrorism police after calling Hamas a 'resistance group' and saying Oct 7 was 'proportionate' response to Israeli actions

Published: 01:47, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 01:49, 21 June 2026 Oxford Union President Arwa Elrayess who said 'Hamas would be lauded as heroes' and claimed they were just a 'resistance group' whose actions were proportionate on October 7 is being investigated by counter terrorism police. She was reported for possible terrorism offences after her supportive comments for the proscribed terrorist organisation in a private WhatsApp conversation with other Oxford students were exposed. The UK Lawyers for Israel group (UKLI) said they were concerned that Ms Elrayess's comments, which went largely unchallenged, could 'radicalise' younger impressionable students. They say the 'deeply concerning comments' also risked 'normalising and legitimising a proscribed terrorist organisation'. Police confirmed to the legal group last week that they were looking into possible terrorism offences against Ms Elrayess, who claims to be Palestinian, after reviewing the messages. A file of the messages, which was leaked by a concerned student who was part of the chat, was part of the evidence passed to police by the group, a UK association of lawyers who support Israel but do not have any political affiliation. In them, Ms Elrayess, who has sparked controversy at the world-famous debating chamber for a series of incidents including arranging a partnership with a Hamas-linked organisation for the union's ball in May, also appeared to justify the October 7 atrocities. She suggested it was 'quite rich' for people 'to act shocked' by what happened given the harsh treatment of Palestinians by Israel. Oxford Union president Arwa Elrayess described Hamas as 'the resistance movement'  Referring to Hamas as 'the resistance movement', she said: 'I think the severity of resistance is often proportional to the severity of oppression.' She also said 'it would be laughable if any Palestinian group tried to gain their freedom through, for example, chaining themselves to the gates of the borders'. A spokesman for UKLI said they reported Ms Elrayess to Counter Terrorism Policing after reviewing the messages which they said 'appeared to indicate support for Hamas' which they believe fell within the scope of the Terrorism Act 2000. They added: 'We can confirm that the police are now investigating this matter.' They said Ms Elrayess had made 'false and misleading assertions about Israel's history' when she argued that the October 7 attacks were a 'proportionate response' to Israeli actions.' These included claims that Israel had carried out 'Thousands of 7th Octobers', had 'massacred and slaughtered hundreds of thousands, and displaced millions', and had engaged in 'decades of systematic oppression and massacres', the spokesperson explained. Her comments were made in the social media chat last September with a group of incoming freshers taking PPE – Politics, Philosophy and Economics – who would mainly have been just 18 or 19 – by Ms Elrayess who is a second year PPE student. The UKLI said this 'particularly concerned' them as 'she seemed to be seeking to persuade more junior students to adopt her views'. Oxford University declined to comment on the Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into Ms Elrayess's remarks (File image)  They said they were concerned that this 'may have the effect of influencing or radicalising more impressionable students' relating it to the case of Palestine Action activist Samuel Corner who was reported to have been radicalised at Oxford University during an anti-Israel encampment. He was one of four people jailed last week for criminal damage and inflicting grievous bodily harm following a break-in at an Israeli defence firm, Elbit Systems in Bristol. While recognising 'freedom of expression was a fundamental value in a democratic society, the UKLI said 'it does not extend to encouraging support for terrorism or excusing acts of mass murder'. 'Universities should be places of rigorous debate and critical inquiry, not environments in which extremist narratives are promoted to impressionable young people. For these reasons, we considered it appropriate to refer the matter to Counter Terrorism.' Critics of Ms Elrayess say she is British-Qatari not Palestinian and has 'only claimed to be Palestinian so she can weaponise identity politics for elections' at the Oxford Union. Thames Valley Police said they 'were aware of a complaint relating to an allegation of support of a proscribed terrorist organisation in Oxford'. A spokesperson said: 'We are continuing to assess this allegation and have been in discussion with Counter Terrorism Policing South East.' A spokesperson for Oxford University said: 'The University cannot comment on individual student cases; questions about active police investigations should be directed to the police. 'Where serious concerns are raised about the conduct of a student, they are considered under the University's relevant disciplinary procedures and, where appropriate, in liaison with the relevant authorities.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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