PM praises freed hostage’s ‘phenomenal courage’ in Downing Street meeting

Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK will “redouble” work to secure the release of Israeli citizens held captive in Gaza as he met a freed hostage in Downing Street.

The Prime Minister held talks on Friday with Eli Sharabi, whose wife and two daughters were killed during Hamas’ attack on October 7 2023.

Mr Sharabi was released last month as part of a fragile ceasefire deal after 16 months in captivity.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said Sir Keir had “paid tribute to his phenomenal courage and bravery” as the two men met on Friday morning.

“He expressed his heartfelt condolences to Eli on the loss of his wife, Lianne, daughters Noiya and Yahel, and brother Yossi,” according to a readout of the talks.

“Hearing first-hand about his 16-month ordeal, the Prime Minister said he could not begin to imagine what Eli had been through. It was a brutal reminder of what the remaining hostages were enduring, the Prime Minister said.

“The UK would redouble its intensive work, at all levels, to secure the release of the remaining 59 hostages, the Prime Minister added.”

In a statement released later, Mr Sharabi and his family said he had thanked the Prime Minister and asked him to do “everything he possibly could” to ensure the remaining hostages were freed.

“Eli thanked the Prime Minister for the UK taking responsibility for him as a hostage with close British connections, and for working towards his release for over a year,” the statement said.

“Eli asked the Prime Minister to confirm that he would do everything he possibly could to ensure that the 59 remaining hostages were released, including the body of Eli’s brother, Yossi, who was killed in captivity.

“The Prime Minister said that he had read the transcript of a recent interview given by Eli to Israeli TV, which had moved him deeply, and was very powerful. He said that ‘inhuman is a word that is used too often, but your experience warranted that word’.”

The ceasefire has entered a challenging second stage after Hamas released 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight more in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in the first, 42-day phase, which ended on Saturday.

Israel supports what it says is a new US plan for the second phase in which Hamas would release half the remaining hostages immediately and the rest when a permanent ceasefire is negotiated.

Hamas has rejected the proposal and says it is sticking with the agreement signed in January.

Israel has cut off the delivery of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza’s roughly two million Palestinians in an attempt to pressure Hamas into accepting the new arrangement.

It has threatened “additional consequences” if Hamas does not resume the release of hostages.

Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and took a total of 251 people hostage.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were militants.

Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.