20 relatives of people murdered or kidnapped by Hamas have written to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, opposing a “grotesque” and “dangerous” application made to her earlier this year on behalf of the terrorist group. 19 of the signatories are British.
They include sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and cousins of Hamas terror victims. Some of the signatories are themselves direct victims of Hamas terrorism.
In April, lawyers acting for Hamas submitted an application asking the Home Secretary to remove the group from the UK’s list of proscribed terrorist organisations.
Although the signatories are confident that the Home Secretary will reject the application, they wrote to express their “deep concern about both the application and the manner in which it has been made.”
Steve Brisley, whose sister Lianne was murdered on Kibbutz Be’eri on 7 October along with her daughters Noiya, 16, and Yahel, 13 said: “Hamas murdered my sister and teenage nieces in cold blood on 7 October and took my brother-in-law hostage. If that’s not terrorism, what is?”
He added the “legal action would be absurd, if it wasn’t such an obvious, offensive and mendacious attempt to sanitise a group responsible for mass slaughter. For those of us whose loved ones were brutally murdered by Hamas, this legal challenge is a cruel, deeply upsetting insult to our grief and to the memory of those stolen from us.”
Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents Oded (84) and Yocheved (85) were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, with Oded being murdered a few weeks into his captivity in Gaza said: “It is outrageous that 620 days after October 7 anyone could deny that Hamas is a terrorist organisation. It murdered 64 people from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where I’m from, and still holds nine residents of the kibbutz hostage, four of them alive. They decimated a peaceful community. It is a failure of our public discourse that anyone could raise their heads to claim Hamas aren’t terrorists.”
She added: “The atrocities they committed on October 7, must not be forgotten and nor must the atrocities they have committed against their own population and the destruction they have brought upon them. It’s appalling that we even have to write to the British government to ask them to reject this inexcusable demand.”
Adam Ma’anit’s cousin, Tsachi Idan (50) was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, after his daughter was murdered in front of him. Tsachi was killed in captivity and his body released in February 2025. Another cousin was previously murdered in a Hamas suicide bombing during the Second Intifada. Adam said: “Hamas murdered three of my relatives. Anyone trying to ‘un-ban’ Hamas isn’t on the side of justice – they’re on the side of monsters.”
Signatories include: Amanda Damari, mother of Emily Damari (27), taken hostage from Kibbutz Kfar Aza and released in January 2025; Ayelet Svatitzky, sister and daughter, respectively, of: Nadav Popplewell (51), taken hostage from Kibbutz Nirim and murdered in captivity, Roi Popplewell (54), murdered in his home on Kibbutz Nirim; Channa Peri (79), taken hostage from her home on Kibbutz Nirim and released in November 2024; Steve Brisley, brother, uncle and brother-in-law, respectively, of: Lianne Sharabi (48), murdered on Kibbutz Be’eri, Noiya Sharabi (16), murdered on Kibbutz Be’eri, Yahel Sharabi (13), murdered on Kibbutz Be’eri, Eli Sharabi (52), taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri and released in March 2025, along with his brother Yossi Sharabi, who was killed in captivity; Sharone Lifshitz, daughter of: Yocheved Lifshitz (85), taken hostage from her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz and released in October 2023, Oded Lifshitz (84), taken hostage from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz, killed in captivity, and his body was released in March 2025; Noam Sagi, son of Ada Sagi (75), taken hostage from her home on Kibbutz Nir Oz and released in November 2023; Lisa and Michael Marlowe, parents of Jake Marlowe (26), murdered at the Nova music festival; Colin Cowan and Laura Schosloff, brother and sister of Bernard Cowan (57), murdered in his home on Kibbutz Sufa; Miriam Young, sister of Nathaniel Young (20), killed at the Yichtav Outpost; Anat Ron-Kendall and Philip Kendall, daughter and son-in-law of Shlomo Ron (84), murdered in his home on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Anat Ron-Kendall was present on 7 October 2023 on Kibbutz Nahal Or in her father’s home when he was murdered there, and she is the only British person who was present at the time of the terrorist attacks and who lives in the UK; Shlomit and Cochav Levinson, parents of Shay Levinson (19), believed to have been killed near the Gaza border, and taken hostage; Adam Ma’anit, cousin of Tsachi Idan (50), taken hostage from his home on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, killed in captivity and his body released in February 2025; Gavin, Nicky and Agnes Heller, father, aunt and grandmother of: Liel Hetzroni-Heller (12), murdered on Kibbutz Be’eri, Yannai Hetzroni-Heller (12), murdered on Kibbutz Be’eri; Ditza Or, mother of Avinatan Or (32), taken hostage from the Nova music festival (and remaining – and believed still to be alive – in captivity), kidnapped with Noa Argamani, his girlfriend, to whom he was about to be married, and who was released following a military operation on 8 June 2024; Ari Jesner, brother of Yoni Jesner (19), murdered by a Hamas suicide bomber in Jerusalem on 19 September 2002.
Adam Rose, Adam Wagner KC and Daniel Isenberg assisted the families with their submissions on a pro bono basis.
