Conservative parliamentarians met with Mandy Damari, the mother of 28-year-old Emily Damari, this week during her visit to the UK. Emily is the last remaining British hostage in Hamas captivity after being kidnapped from her home in Kfar Aza on 7th October 2023.
The Leader of the Opposition, Rt. Hon. Kemi Badenoch MP, hosted Mandy and her family as her guests at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
“I would like to pay tribute to Mandy Damari and her family for the strength that they have shown and we on this side of the House, and I am sure the whole House, continue to seek the speedy release of Emily Damari and the other hostages”, she said.
After meeting Mandy earlier in the week, the Leader of the Conservative Party called on the UK Government “to do more to bring the hostages home”.
Mandy and her family also met with Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel who said she will continue to raise Emily’s case at every opportunity. The MP for Witham said on X: “I pay tribute to Mandy Damari for her tireless campaigning to secure the release of her daughter, Emily, and the other hostages held in brutal conditions in Gaza by the terrorists Hamas. Emily and all those held continue to be in our thoughts and prayers”. “All efforts possible must be undertaken to secure access to them and their immediate release”, she added.
Mandy met with dozens of cross-party MPs and Lords and took part in a press conference with CFI Honorary President Lord Polak CBE to raise awareness of her daughter’s plight.
Chair of the 1922 Committee, Bob Blackman CBE MP, chaired a Britain-Israel All Party Parliamentary Group meeting with Mandy on Tuesday. Mandy also spoke at an event with British-linked hostage families in Parliament where the MPs and Lords ‘Twin with a Hostage’ campaign was launched by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK.
In the House of Commons yesterday, Rt. Hon. John Whittingdale MP said that “[Emily’s] mother is obviously deeply anxious to know that she is still alive, so the Government must do everything possible to try to obtain her release”.
Conservative MP Jack Rankin met the family of 31-year-old Avinatan Or, who was abducted from the Nova Music Festival on 7th October 2023 with his girlfriend, Noa Argamani. Noa was rescued by IDF troops in June but Avinatan remains in Hamas captivity in Gaza. Jack is taking part in the ‘Twin with a Hostage’ campaign and pledged to raise awareness of Avinatan’s suffering.
The body of Itai Svirsky, who was taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri, was recovered by the IDF this week from Gaza. The IDF also confirmed that based on intelligence findings, 21-year-old American-Israeli Omer Neutra was killed in battle on 7th October 2023 and his body is being held by Hamas in Gaza.
U.S. President-elect Trump said there would be “all hell to pay” in the Middle East “if the hostages are not released” prior to his 20th January inauguration.
