The mother of British hostage Emily Damari told Labour Friends of Israel (LFI)’s annual lunch on Monday that the UK’s vote at the UN for an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza that wasn’t tied to the release of hostages “broke” her heart.

Mandy Damari was given a standing ovation as she rose to speak by the roughly 550 people and over 100 parliamentarians in attendance at the Westminster venue – including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden.

Damari said: “Since October 7, my days are one long nightmare I may never wake up from.”

She asked those present to think about the awful conditions her 28-year-old daughter who was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7. She was, she said, “with mental and physical scarring that may never heal, clothed in dirty rags, lice in her hair, probably still in pain from the gunshot wounds in her hand and leg that were not treated properly, shivering, starving, dehydrated, ghostly pale.

“Her breathing slow, a bucket for a toilet, impossible to get away from the stench, watched over by people who want to murder or rape her, terrified in every waking moment, and too scared to fall asleep, fighting to stay alive, minute after minute, month after month, 423 days with no end in sight. She's in hell,” Mandy said.

Damari thanked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy for raising her daughter’s plight, but added that nothing that had been tried so far “has really made any difference” to help secure Emily’s release and that of other hostages.

She went on to criticise the government for voting for a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for a ceasefire in Gaza and which she said would “leave Emily and the other hostages in the hands of Hamas. Giving them no incentive to ever release them.”

Emily’s mother continued: “That vote shocked me and it broke my heart. Nobody is more supportive of peace than I am. Nobody. But there will be no peace until Emily and all the hostages are brought home, those who are alive should be returned to their families and those who are dead returned for a respectful burial.”

The resolution, which was debated on November 20, was rejected following a veto by the United States, whose representative said the could not back a resolution for an immediate ceasefire unless it was explicitly tied to the release of hostages held by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organisation

Starmer, who was a keynote speaker at the event, addressed Damari’s criticism and said that “I want to be absolutely clear on the UN Security Council resolution – the policy of this government towards a ceasefire has not changed.

“There is no ceasefire worthy of the name, which does not, as item number one include the return of all the hostages. That is what we are working for, day and night.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer addressing Labour Friends of Israel's annual lunch. Credit: Labour Friends of Israel.

Later in his speech, the Labour leader also labelled Iran a “state sponsor of terror”.

He added: “Whether that’s through their funding, training and support for Hamas – making the October 7 attack possible. Or the Houthis who have attacked Israel and caused chaos to international shipping or for Hezbollah in Lebanon.”

Starmer also said that while the government “respect the independence of the ICC” he rejected “any equivalence between Israel – a democracy, and Hamas – a terrorist organisation”.

The prime minister additionally condemned the BDS movement which he said was “a genuine threat to the two-state solution”.

And added shortly after that said that: “Everybody should be able to access health services without any sense of fear because of their faith or heritage.”

Those in attendance also heard from LFI’s chair Jon Pearce who called for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be banned in the UK.

Israel’s Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely paid tribute to LFI’s work and said that Britain and Israel’s relationship had “never been more important”.

The ambassador that Israel “would never forget the moment when in April, Royal Air Force fighter pilots took action to defend Israel from attack by Iran: the world's oldest democracy standing by the Middle East’s only democracy”.

Leading figures from the Jewish community were also in attendance: including the Chief Rabbi and the chief executives of the JLC and the CST and the president of the Board of Deputies.

LFI’s director Michael Rubin told the JC: “We are delighted to welcome a Labour prime minister to speak at the LFI  annual lunch for the first time in 17 years.”

He also said that: “The Prime Minister’s address today underlined the strength of the government’s commitment to the safety and security of both the Israeli people and British Jews.”

A small number of protesters turned up after the event had finished.