The UK has left “no stone unturned” in efforts to get the hostages captured by Hamas in Gaza home including conducting unarmed surveillance flights over the region in an attempt to locate those captured.
Answering questions put to him by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, David Lammy writes:”We have left no stone unturned in our efforts to get the hostages home” and that the “Ministry of Defence conducts surveillance flights over the Eastern Mediterranean, including operating in airspace over Israel and Gaza”.
The Foreign Secretary added:”These surveillance aircraft are unarmed and do not have a combat role. They are tasked solely to locate hostages”.
His response said that the Foreign Office “cannot…share everything that the Government is doing”.
David Lammy with Sharon Sharabi, brother of hostages Eli Sharabi and Yossi Sharabi in Jerusalem
The letter also stated the FCDO is working specifically to secure the safe and immediate release of British national Emily Damari and three hostages with strong UK-links, Eli Sharabi, Oded Lifschitz and Avinatan Or.
It says a ceasefire deal is “the best way to get the remaining hostages out”.
The Foreign Secretary states that he has “in recent weeks…spoken to the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, ensuring that Emily’s release, and the release of the UK-linked hostages, is at the top of their agenda”.
He says that “it was encouraging to see her [Emily’s] name on the list of 34 hostages Hamas recently announced that it would be willing to release.”
Lammy also reasserts his intention to appoint an Envoy for arbitrary detention in the future.
A letter sent to the Committee, chaired by Emily Thornberry MP, attempts to answer questions on Israel’s compliance with International Humanitarian Law during the war in Gaza.
It states that it has “not been possible to make an assessment of Israel’s compliance with the principle of proportionality”.
It adds that “this is in part due to the opaque and contested information environment in Gaza and the challenges of accessing the specific and sensitive information necessary from Israel in relation to each incident, such as intended targets, anticipated military advantage and anticipated civilian harm”.
Emily Thornberry
Meanwhile, correspondence from the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA states that the “Knesset’s legislation forbidding Israeli state officials from engaging with UNRWA and prohibiting the Agency’s operations in what it terms the ‘sovereign territory of the State of Israel’ is a significant escalation in efforts to delegitimize the Agency”.
The letter states that this is a “broader attempt to undermine Palestinians’ right to self-determination and disrupt long-standing frameworks for resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict”.
In the letter, UNRWA argues that “without intervention, millions of Palestine Refugees risk losing access to essential services, and the region’s fragile stability will be further undermined”.
The letter adds that “the UK is well positioned to lead efforts to combat misinformation targeting UNRWA, advocate for a ceasefire, press the State of Israel for unrestricted humanitarian access, and champion accountability for violations of international law through international legal mechanisms.”
UNRWA’s letter adds that “social media campaigns and misinformation have falsely associated UNRWA with terrorist activities, further undermining its credibility and mission. Billboard and display ads against UNRWA in a number of large cities around the world bought by the Government of Israel aim at undermining the Agency.”
Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, said: “I am grateful for UNRWA’s letter and the Foreign Secretary’s two letters. The conflict in Gaza and the wider Middle East is catastrophic.
“The loss of life is profoundly devastating. In Gaza, many are having to endure unimaginable suffering. Innocent Gazans, including many children, face an acute humanitarian crisis.
“Hostages are still being held by Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza, well over a year since the beginning of the conflict. This is unacceptable.
“UNRWA’s letter details the important role that the organisation plays in providing essential services to civilians in Gaza. The Knesset’s attempt to block UNRWA leaves those who rely heavily on the organisation in a perilous, potentially life-threatening position.
“While it is clear from the Foreign Secretary’s letters that the FCDO is working hard to bring about a ceasefire and bring home the hostages, there has been little tangible progress. ”
