A councillor has set the record straight on his support for Palestine after being accused of being "quiet".

Cllr Jack Khan for Labour’s Rumworth ward said he was receiving messages asking why he was quiet and why he had not said anything on the escalating war happening in the Middle East.

Cllr Khan is currently in Pakistan but says he is keeping in touch with what is happening every minute.

In a video statement, he voiced his views, condemning Israel for their attacks on Palestine, which have seen electricity, water, and more recently, internet connectivity cut off from Gaza.

Cllr Khan said: “I have always been 100 percent Palestine and will always be. Palestine is the oppressed.

“Let me be clear, if you have got faith inside you, you will always be with Palestine, so why are people complaining about councillors being quiet?

“Stop the massacre of all of the innocent people involved in this."

The Bolton News: Cllr Jack Khan

The councillor also says more support is needed for Gaza following the crisis.

He said: “My stance is always to free Palestine and Israel needs to stop what they are doing.

“I do not care what anyone else thinks, this is my stance and I am heartbroken to see what is happening, this is a war crime.

“The killings of thousands of people are going on and urgent aid is needed in Gaza and should be allowed in. Let the aid get to these innocent children and people who are dying.”

Since the conflict started on October 7, thousands of people have been killed and two pro-Palestine protests have been held in Bolton.

Families and friends have marched from Queens Park to Victoria Square, waving placards and flags, where they chanted "free Palestine".

The Palestinian death toll in Gaza on Saturday rose to just over 7,700 people since October 7, with 377 deaths reported since late Friday, according to the territory’s health ministry.

Around 1,400 people are believed to have been killed in Israel.

Council deputy leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman has also called for a ceasefire in a Facebook post.

He said: “The loss of innocent life in Gaza is unprecedented and it cannot go on.

"We need an immediate ceasefire now."