Meeting with mother of last British hostage ‘important’ ahead of possible deal, Lammy tells MPs

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) January 13, 2025

The Foreign Secretary told MPs that securing “the safe release of all hostages, including British national Emily Damari and three others with strong UK links is a top priority for this government.”

He went on: “We have continually supported hostage talks and support the efforts of the United States, Egyptian and Qatari negotiators. We are exercising every diplomatic means to secure their immediate and unconditional release and call on all parties to show flexibility”.

Lammy was asked by Labour MP Jake Richards what the government was doing to help secure Damari’s release.

Richards, who represents Rother Valley in South Yorkshire, added that he had spoken to Mandy Damari following her meeting with Lammy yesterday, for which she was said to be “grateful”.

He also pressed the Foreign Secretary on securing “humanitarian access” to the hostages before their possible release, something he noted that “Hamas are disgracefully avoiding”.

Lammy responded by saying that: “It was important to be with Mandy Damari in Israel yesterday.”

He added that spoke with his “Egyptian counterpart” to “press these issues” of humanitarian access, but that part of the reason the government had been pushing for an increase in the supply of aid into Gaza was so that some of it could get to the hostages.

“It will take some time for them to come out, and they need that humanitarian access”, he told MPs.

Lammy echoed US President Joe Biden’s claims that “we may well be on the brink of a deal” adding: “I know this whole house would want to see that deal emerge in the coming days”.

Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel responded that reports of progress towards a deal was “truly welcome”.

“All members of the House will praise the courage and resilience of the hostage families and have the hostages in their thoughts right now, particularly Emily's mother Mandy and Emily herself,” the Conservative frontbencher added.

It was reported shortly after that Hamas had accepted a draft deal including hostage releases and a ceasefire.

Earlier this week, the Foreign Secretary said in correspondence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that the UK had “left no stone unturned in our efforts to get the hostages home”, including conducting surveillance flights in unarmed vehicles “in airspace over Israel and Gaza”, something which has been previously admitted by ministers.

Although Lammy did not want to “share everything that the government is doing”, he claimed that British officials “ensure that the hostage families in particular know as much as possible.”

Lammy has previously been criticised for publically posting concerns over Israel’s conduct in the war in Gaza with no mention of the hostages held by Hamas shortly after posing for a photo with Mandy Damari.

This weekend, she slammed the UK Government of failing to deliver “action or results” in securing the release of her daughter.

The first phase of the reported ceasefire agreement between Israel and terrorist group Hamas will see 33 Israeli hostages released over a 60 day period.

“Humanitarian” cases, including women, children, men over 50, and the sick, would be released first, in exchange for as many as 1300 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Emily was named by Hamas on its list of hostages who could be released in this first phase earlier this month.

As of January 10, 98 Israeli hostages are listed as being held hostage by Hamas. How many of those are alive is officially unknown.

Back in Parliament, ministers also faced questions over the sale of arms to Israel.

Independent pro-Gaza MP Iqbal Mohamed asked whether “drones, engines, or any other parts for the Hermes 450 drone are still being supplied by to Israel from the UK”.

The drone, Mohamed said, was regarded by the IDF “as a critical asset, providing strike capabilities” and is manufactured by Elbit Systems in the UK.

Development Minister Annelise Dodds told the Commons that “the UK has the most robust arms control regime within any global comparison.”

She added that since September 2 last year, when the UK announced a partial sale of arms to Israel, “there have been no extant UK export licenses for items to Israel that we assess are for use in military operations in Gaza.”