Grant Shapps and Oliver Dowden have faced a backlash after appearing to laugh as Rishi Sunak addressed parliament about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Shapps, the defence secretary and deputy prime minister Dowden were sat on the Commons frontbench behind the prime minister as he updated MPs on the situation in the Middle East.
As Sunak called for a “better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people”, Shapps and Dowden appeared to be sharing a joke and giggled.
Earlier, as Sunak spoke in the Commons for the first time since the outbreak of war a week ago, the PM confirmed six British people are dead and another 10 are missing after the assault by Hamas on southern Israel.
The apparent behaviour of Shapps and Dowden was condemned on social media.
Following an intervention from Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi, Sunak said: “We can’t lose sight of the better future that we strive for, and indeed my conversations with leaders have already been thinking about that.
“It’s something I raised with the prime minister of Israel as well. We all want that better future for the Israeli and Palestinian people, and hopefully, out of this tragedy, we will find a way to move closer toward it.”
The war that began October 7 has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, with more than 4,000 dead.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 2,750 Palestinians have been killed and 9,700 wounded. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and at least 199 others, including children, were captured by Hamas and taken into Gaza, according to Israel.