RELEASED British hostage Emily Damari today slammed “shameful” Sir Keir Starmer for “rewarding terror” and prolonging the Gaza war.
Ms Damari, who endured 471 days as a captive, criticized the Prime Minister’s promise to acknowledge Palestine, while Israeli civilians remain detained in Hamas’ tunnels.
The dual British-Israeli national, 29, accused Sir Keir of a “moral failure” and compared the move to rewarding Nazis in WWII.
Ms Damari stated: “As a British-Israeli citizen who survived 471 days under Hamas captivity, it deeply pains me to see Prime Minister Starmer choose to recognize 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 noted: “By giving legitimacy to a state while Hamas governs Gaza and perpetuates terror, the Prime Minister is not moving toward a resolution; he is extending the conflict.
“Recognition under these conditions emboldens extremists and undermines any hope for genuine peace.”
Families of British hostages joined in condemning the PM, who faced accusations from the Tories of making a “hollow” decision, seemingly to please Muslim voters and backbench 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 Britons with close ties to the kidnapped Israelis, remarked: “For nearly two years, British hostage families have urged the U.K. to use any influence it has to assist in freeing their relatives.
“They have met with successive Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries at 10 Downing Street, who assured them that the U.K. would do everything in its power to achieve the immediate and unconditional release of their detained loved ones, an act undeniably labeled 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.
