Families of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza appealed directly to cabinet ministers to help bring their relatives home, at Labour Friends of Israel (LFI)’s reception at the Labour Party’s annual conference.

Many of the roughly 500 guests in attendance were moved to tears by the testimony of Noam Safir, whose grandfather Shlomo Mansour was taken by Hamas on October 7 from their home in Kibbutz Kissufim in southern Israel.

Noam Safir (right) speaking to Labour Friends of Israel. Credit: Labour Friends of Israel

Born in Iraq, Mansour survived the Farhud massacre of 1941, and his granddaughter read out an extract from his diary recalling the atrocities he witnessed as a child: “I saw a horrifying sight that I still remember, and caused me nightmares, especially when the terror organizations, ISIS and Hamas, who live beside us, come to mind. When I went to the roof, I heard horrible screams. I saw a Jewish woman begging for her life and pleading for her baby back, but they were playing with him like a ball. Then one of the monsters took a knife, skewered the baby, and handed him to the mother.”

Safir told the crowd that her grandfather experienced a “second Holocaust” on October 7, “everything he went through in Iraq is happening all over again,” adding that he experienced his 86th birthday and 60th wedding anniversary in Hamas captivity.

Her testimony was made more challenging by the sound of blaring music and a thumping bass coming from a party being held nearby at another section of the ACC in Liverpool’s Albert Dock.

“Grandpa, Saba, we are fighting for you” she said, and urged the crowd – that included Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, other Labour ministers including faith minister Lord Wajid Khan and around 20 MPs – “Don't forget my grandpa and the other 100 hostages still in captivity, do everything in your power, do everything you can to advance a deal. Pressure whoever you can. Use any connection you have. A deal is the only chance we have to get them all back.”

Sharone Lifschitz, whose elderly father Oded is still being held in Gaza, spoke of their shared passion for British politics: “listening to Keir Starmer’s, compassionate, caring speech, I was reminded again that that speech would have been something me and my father would have loved to talk about,” referencing the Prime Minister’s keynote speech earlier in the day.

She continued, “I can't share it with my father. He's somewhere in Gaza. That morning, when my father woke up after being shot in the hand … He woke up to see his life's work on fire. His house was on fire. The children of his community were being taken hostage by military and citizens from Gaza.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaking at a Labour Friends of Israel event. Credit: LFI

Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, urged those present to recognise the security realities faced by Israel, amid rising tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon: “Hamas is not interested in a two-state solution. Hezbollah is not interested in a two-state solution”, adding that they wanted to “eliminate Israel”. She implored Labour members “if you're interested in peace, you need to support Israel's right to self-defence and Israel's duty to its people.”

Earlier in the night, four cabinet members, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, also spoke.

Reeves, who stepped down as vice-chair of LFI – a position she held for 14 years – because of her appointment as Chancellor, hugged LFI director Michael Rubin as she came on stage, “If it wasn't for being Chancellor of the Exchequer, I would still be the vice-chair today”, she said.

The Chancellor thanked those present for helping change the Labour Party from the days of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, adding: “I'm especially proud that people like [former Jewish MPs who quit the party under Corbyn] Luciana [Berger] and Louise [Ellman] felt confident to return to our party”.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner repeated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

She also attacked “extremist settlers whose violence and illegal actions are destabilizing the West Bank and undermining the viability of a two-state vision, which is at the centre of Labor Friends of Israel's work.”

The government would “continue to stand for Israel's security in a manner that is consistent with our obligations to domestic and international law” as well as tackling Iran and its proxies, she said.

Rayner, who is also Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said the government would crackdown on antisemitism “we will do everything in our power to protect the Jewish communities and ensure that those responsible for antisemitic hate crimes feel the full force of the law.

“You will never be left to deal with the threat of antisemitism alone,” she added

Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden and Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle both reflected on their time in Kibbutz Nir Oz, which they had both visited prior to its devastation by Hamas on October 7.

"The reason why it was attacked that day wasn't despite the fact that it strove for peace … Hamas felt so threatened by the prospect of peace”, Kyle said.

Israeli politician Yair Golan was scheduled to speak, but was forced to make a return to Israel.