Starmer recalls ‘sadness and grief’ one year after Hamas attack

A year after the October 7 attacks on Israel, Sir Keir Starmer marked a “day of sadness and grief” by calling for the “immediate and unconditional” release of hostages still held in Gaza.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister praised the “dignity and determination” of the families of those taken prisoner by Hamas.

He said of them: “Today their pain is as severe as it was a year ago. They live it every day.”

Hamas attackers killed around 1,200 people and took 250 hostages when the group launched a surprise attack on communities in southern Israel. A British-Israeli woman is among the 97 people believed to still be in captivity.

Sir Keir described the October 7 attacks as “born of hatred” and “targeted not only individuals, but also Jewish communities, their way of life and the State of Israel, the symbol of Jewish security in the world.”

He paid tribute to 15 British citizens killed in the first raids and another who died in captivity. A total of 97 hostages remain unknown.

Among them is Mandy Damari, a 28-year-old British-Israeli woman.

On Monday, her mother Mandy described the “living hell” of not knowing her daughter’s fate and called on the British government to make more efforts to free the hostages.

She told the London event: “How is it that after a year he is still in prison there?

“Why isn’t the whole world, especially Britain, fighting for her release at all times? She’s one of them.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy was present at the same event. He said: “This is a day of deep reflection and pain at the thought of October 7, the worst attack on the Jewish community since the Holocaust.”

The October 7 attacks led the Israeli government to launch an invasion of Gaza in an attempt to free the hostages and eliminate Hamas.

In the following months, the number of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims in the UK increased amid protests and inflamed social tensions.

In a statement in the House of Commons on Monday, Sir Keir said his government would “stand with all communities in the UK against hatred towards Jews and Muslims”.

The Prime Minister mentioned the victims of the conflict that broke out in the Middle East following the attack.

Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and the war has spread to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.

The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah – which, like Hamas, is banned as a terrorist organization in the UK, US and European Union – launched almost daily rocket attacks on Israel in support of Hamas shortly after the October 7 attacks.

In recent days, several hundred people have died as a result of Israeli bombings in Lebanon.

The Prime Minister said: “No one in this House can really imagine what it feels like to cower under the bodies of your friends, hoping that a terrorist won’t find you minutes after dancing at a music festival.

“No one can really imagine that your city, your homes, your hospital and your businesses will be destroyed, with your neighbors and family buried underneath.

“It is beyond our understanding, and with that should come humility.”

Sir Keir said the government would continue to press for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and a long-term diplomatic solution that ensures Israel’s security alongside a Palestinian state.