The mother of the only British citizen still being held hostage in Gaza criticized U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy for a social media post, published hours after their meeting, condemning the “unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza” without noting the ongoing hostage situation. 

Mandy Damari, 63, is in London this week to raise the plight of her daughter, Emily, with the U.K. government, as well as other parliamentarians, the media and public figures. 

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists broke into the 28-year-old’s home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. They shot and kidnapped her back to Gaza, after shooting her dog dead. 

Damari last received “proof of life” for her daughter in March. While in the U.K. this week, she met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Liberal Democrat head Ed Davey. 

She expressed her gratitude to those with whom she met, but had stern words for Lammy, with whom she spoke on Monday. 

“Regrettably not all of my experiences this week have generated positive momentum,” she said. 

Damari told a press conference in London on Thursday that Lammy had been one of about 100 MPs who attended an event organized by the Labour Friends of Israel earlier in the week. 

She said she felt her “call to action” earlier in the week had been “well received” by those in the room including Lammy, and was surprised by his actions later that day. 

“A few hours after my speech, however, the foreign secretary published a statement on the need for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza for the winter,” she said. “But there was no mention of the need to get any of that aid to Emily or the other hostages — and no additional remarks have been made on the subject since then.”

On Monday evening, Lammy posted on X that Britain, France and Germany had written to the Israeli government “to urge action on the unacceptable humanitarian situation in Gaza.” 

He continued: “Israel must implement @UN’s winter plan now: send equipment to guard against cold & flooding, give access to fuel, repair vital infrastructure, and get aid in.”

Underlining her disappointment, Damari said, “I appreciate the foreign secretary’s warmth in our personal meeting but as I have said I came for solutions not sympathy.”

She said her priority during the trip had been to highlight the need for aid to reach the hostages, and ultimately, secure their release. 

“A hostage deal may be weeks, months or even further away,” she said. “Meanwhile, their condition deteriorates every single hour. Much more needs to be done, and much more can be done, to keep Emily and the other hostages alive while they remain in captivity.” 

“Otherwise, they will all die the most painful and tragic deaths imaginable in the tunnels. Many already have, and words alone will not save those who still remain.”

She expressed gratitude to other MPs that she met with, offering particular praise for Nigel Farage, the leader of the right-wing Reform UK party. 

Earlier this week, Farage criticized Lammy’s post, while saying that the government was “pandering” to Hamas and the pro-Palestinian lobby. 

In response, Damari said, “[Farage] said that he would talk to the incoming president of the United States and I’m very grateful for that very strong statement.” Farage is a longstanding friend and supporter of President-elect Donald Trump. 

Damari thanked Starmer and the other party leaders for discussing her daughter’s plight during a weekly session of Parliament during which time MPs can ask questions of the prime minister, while also thanking the prime minister for bringing up her daughter’s plight to the Emir of Qatar, who is on a state visit to Britain this week. 

She said she had hoped to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani of Qatar this week but that the meeting “unfortunately never materialized”. Nevertheless, she revealed that she has had “several positive interactions” with the Qatari negotiators over the last year. 

Earlier, Damari, a kindergarten teacher, described how she had also been home in Kfar Aza on October 7 last year. 

“When Hamas invaded Kfar Aza that morning, my life was saved by a lock that jammed, preventing the terrorists from entering my safe room to kill or kidnap me like they did to so many of my friends and neighbors,” she said. 

“While I was fortunate to survive, Emily was kidnapped by Hamas from her own home, which is nearby to mine. Emily was shot in the hand, injured by shrapnel in her leg, blindfolded, bundled into the back of her own car, and driven back to Gaza. 426 days later and she is the last remaining British citizen being held hostage by Hamas.”