Family members of Israeli hostages taken on October 7 are set to join a march on Downing Street to urge the release of those being held by Palestinian militant group Hamas. The demonstration comes as pressure mounts on Sir Keir Starmer over his approach to recognising a Palestinian state.
On Sunday afternoon there will be a "national march for the hostages" in central London organised by Stop the Hate UK and a number of Jewish organisations. The protest follows the Prime Minister's pledge to recognise a Palestinian state in September unless the Israeli government meets a series of conditions towards ending the conflict in Gaza.
Protesters demand hostage priority
Stop the Hate said that protesters will urge the Prime Minister to prioritise the release of 50 remaining Israeli hostages, with 20 of them thought to be alive, before any recognition of a Palestinian state. Among those due to attend is Noga Guttman, the cousin of 24-year-old Evyatar David, who was kidnapped.
Hamas released a video last weekend which showed David looking skeletal and hollow-eyed in a dimly lit Gaza tunnel. Marchers will include the relatives of Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival with his girlfriend Noa Argamani.
Families criticise Government approach
Or's cousin Ariel Felber, from London, said: "Keir Starmer has failed the hostages and their families by not making it a condition that all the remaining hostages are brought home to their loved ones before he can even entertain talk of state recognition of Palestine. He urgently needs to correct this."
Steve Brisley from Bridgend, Wales, whose sister and nieces were murdered on October 7 and his brother-in-law Eli taken hostage, said: "As British families of hostages and victims, devastated by the ongoing suffering of our loved ones, our emotional torture has been exacerbated by the suggestion that the UK may recognise a Palestinian state without securing the release of the hostages as an absolute precondition. This is not about politics. This is about basic humanity."
March route and speakers
Also joining the protesters will be Ayelet Svatitzky, whose brothers Roi and Nadav Popplewell were murdered, and Adam Ma'anit, whose cousin Tsachi Idan saw his eldest daughter's murder before he himself was later confirmed dead. Demonstrators will gather in Holborn from 2pm before marching to Downing Street, where speeches will take place.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism, one of the groups attending, said: "The situation for the hostages is absolutely desperate. People from right across the Jewish community, from every denomination are uniting with us to say that the UK must focus all of its diplomatic pressure on securing the return of the hostages."
International pressure on Israel
It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy joined his counterparts from Australia, Italy, Germany and New Zealand to condemn Israeli plans to take over Gaza City. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday that Israel would seek "the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip", as well as "Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip" and "the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority".
In their joint statement, the foreign ministers said the plans "risk violating international law" and "any attempts at annexation or of settlement extension violate international law". Sir Keir described Israel's plans as "wrong" and called for "a ceasefire, a surge in humanitarian aid, the release of all hostages by Hamas and a negotiated solution".
Government's Palestinian state conditions
He said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to meet certain conditions, including addressing the humanitarian crisis, implementing a ceasefire and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution. But he insisted the move was not a propaganda boost to Hamas, saying the "terrorist organisation" could play "no part in any future government".
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
