RELEASED British hostage Emily Damari today slammed “shameful” Sir Keir Starmer for “rewarding terror” and prolonging the Gaza war.
Ms Damari, who survived 471 days in captivity, blasted the PM’s pledge to recognise Palestine while kidnapped Israeli civilians continue rotting in Hamas terror tunnels.
Former Israeli hostage Emily Damari with her mother Amanda in Israel after being released from Hamas terror tunnels[/caption]
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will recognise Palestinian statehood in September unless a ceasefire is agreed[/caption]
The dual British-Israeli national, 29, accused Sir Keir of a “moral failure” and compared the move to rewarding Nazis in WWII.
Ms Damari said: “As a Dual British-Israeli citizen who survived 471 days in Hamas captivity, I am deeply saddened by Prime Minister Starmer’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood.
“This move does not confirm the UK will advance peace – it risks rewarding terror. It sends a dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy.”
She added: “By legitimising a state entity while Hamas still controls Gaza and continues its campaign of terror, the Prime Minister is not promoting a solution; he is prolonging the conflict.
“Recognition under these conditions emboldens extremists and undermines any hope for genuine peace.”
British hostage families also joined the chorus of condemnation against the PM, who was accused by the Tories of making a “vacuous” decision aimed at appeasing Muslim voters and back bench MPs.
As of late July 2025, around 50 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with approximately 20 believed to be alive and the remains of up to 30 being held.
Adam Wagner KC, who represents Brits with strong ties to kidnapped Israeli’s, said: “For almost two years, the British hostage families have encouraged the U.K. to use any leverage it has to help secure the release of their loved ones.
“They have sat in 10 Downing Street with successive Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries who have looked them in the eyes and promised the U.K. will do everything in its power to secure the immediate and unconditional release of their loved ones, whose detention is unambiguously a war crime.
“We are concerned that the UK’s proposal risks delaying the release of the hostages.”
Conditions among the kidnapped are dire: they are confined in underground tunnels with no natural light or clean air, suffering from severe malnutrition, dehydration, untreated injuries, and psychological trauma.
Some are understood to have been chained, beaten, or subjected to starvation and torture .
International organisations including the Red Cross and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum have warned that without urgent access and humanitarian relief, the remaining living hostages face a growing risk of death from medical neglect and deteriorating mental health .
This morning shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel warned it is “not the right time” to recognise a Palestinian state and urged ministers to set out a plan to “ensure that Hamas is not rewarded”.
She told Sky News: “What we would rather see is a proper, meaningful plan for the recognition of Palestine, in the right way, where the future governance of Palestine is absolutely mapped out.
“This Government has not played a role in doing that, and I think that’s where we should be.”
The PM said the UK would recognise Palestine in September unless Israel agrees to end the “appalling” crisis in Gaza.
He issued the blunt ultimatum to Benjamin Netanyahu after an emergency Cabinet meeting and under mounting pressure from Labour ministers and MPs.
But Donald Trump and political rivals slap down the move – warning it risks rewarding Hamas for its terror attacks.
The US President claimed the PM did not even raise the controversial move when they met on Monday.
Ms Damari was kidnapped by Hamas during an attack on Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel on October 7.
She was taken from the safe room of her home, sustaining injuries, and held captive for over 15 months.
During her time as a hostage, she was moved between cages, tunnels, and UN facilities, receiving minimal medical care for her wounds.
The Tottenham Hotspur fan was eventually released as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, which included a prisoner exchange.
