British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has demanded that Palestinian armed group Hamas release “sausages” being held in Gaza, instead of hostages.
Starmer made the gaffe as he was speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during an address at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday.
“I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages,” the prime minister said to applause from the crowd.
He quickly corrected himself, making clear that he was actually talking about “hostages.”
Users on X (formerly Twitter) suggested that the prime minister’s blunder was because he was “a little hungry” or was thinking about what he had eaten for breakfast.
One commentator argued that Hamas would have no problem returning the “sausages” as they are Muslims and don’t eat pork.
According to Starmer, the British government supports a two-state solution to the crisis, which includes “a recognized Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.”
At least 1,200 people were killed and 250 others taken hostage during the Hamas incursion into Israel on October 7. At least 97 captives are reportedly still being held in Gaza.
The latest data from Gaza’s Health Ministry suggests that almost 41,500 people have been killed and over 96,000 others wounded in the airstrikes and ground offensive launched by Israel following the Hamas attack.