Church of England removes tapestry which commemorates Hamas terrorists killed in Gaza

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 20:32 EDT, 18 September 2026 | Updated: 20:32 EDT, 18 September 2026 The Church of England has removed a memorial to those killed in Gaza after it was accused of paying tribute to jihadist fighters.The tapestry, called Stitch Their Names Together, listed the names of people who have died in the conflict with Israel and had been due to remain on display at Leeds Minster until Sunday.It had been promoted by the Minster as 'an act of remembrance, honouring their lives and the immense loss to humanity'. But the church removed the exhibition after being handed evidence by the Leeds Jewish Representative Council (JRC) suggesting at least 18 known terrorists were named on it.The row erupted after the Jewish Leadership Council in London initially identified 12 names with 'very high-confidence' as matches for members of terrorist groups including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).Simon Myerson KC, chairman of the Leeds JRC, has now called for an investigation into how the tapestry was allowed to go on display.He told The Telegraph: 'At no stage was the Jewish community consulted about the plan to potentially display the names of terrorists in a church in Leeds. The Church of England has removed a memorial to those killed in Gaza after it was accused of paying tribute to jihadist fighters The tapestry, called Stitch Their Names Together, listed the names of people who have died in the conflict with Israel and had been due to remain on display at Leeds Minster until Sunday'Extraordinarily, the display is open to the public through the Ten Days of Awe, the holiest period of the Jewish year.'We need a church investigation into how such an event can be put on without any apparent diocesan oversight or proper due diligence.'The church has also been reported to the police, according to the Jewish Chronicle.Mary Evers, founder of the Stitch Their Names project, has dismissed the criticism as the product of a 'smear' campaign.The Rev Paul Maybury, rector of Leeds Minster, said members of the parochial church council had examined the panels on the day the exhibition opened and found none of the names.Before the event, Mr Maybury had written in a speech: 'This building permanently commemorates the lives of many hundreds of people, and it is appropriate that we host a travelling exhibition poignantly commemorating the many lives of adults and children killed in Gaza since October 2023.'But the Minster later received further information from the Leeds JRC.Mr Maybury told Jewish News: 'Today we received further information from the Leeds Jewish Representative Council indicating that they had evidence suggesting that there are the names of at least 18 known Hamas fighters contained in the exhibition in the Minster.'Having received this information, we immediately decided to close the exhibition to the public.'