Foreign Secretary David Lamy said it was “a day of profound reflection and pain” as he commemorated the victims of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
Lamy described last year’s attack that killed about 1,200 people as “the worst attack on the Jewish community since the Holocaust.”
Speaking at South Tottenham Synagogue, he said he was thinking of “the many hostages still held in Gaza”, particularly Emily Damari, the only British-Israeli hostage still held.
Ms Damalia, 28, was kidnapped from a kibbutz and taken to Gaza along with 250 others by Hamas. Lamy added that her family “had no idea of her fate or her situation”.
A total of 97 hostages are still missing.
Israel launched military operations in Gaza in response to Hamas attacks, killing thousands in the Palestinian territories.
“This is a painful day for the Jewish community across the country and in the diaspora,” Lamy told reporters.
He added: “This is a day of deep reflection and pain as we remember October 7, the worst attack on the Jewish community since the Holocaust.”
solve a Commemorative events in London on Sunday, Ms. Damari’s mother, Mandy Damari, said hostages released in November told her they had contact with her while in captivity.
“It’s been a hell every day, not knowing what Emily is going through,” she said.
She said Britain and other countries needed to do more to secure the release of her daughter and other hostages.
“Why is she still locked up there after a year? Why isn’t the whole world, especially the UK, fighting every moment to secure her release? She is one of their own,” she said.
She told the crowd how her daughter, who was born in Israel and lives there, enjoys visiting Britain – her “second home across the sea”.
Ms Damari’s mother added that she enjoyed watching Spurs games, going to pubs and shopping in Primark.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Sunday the country must “unequivocally” stand with the Jewish community, describing October 7 as “the darkest day in Jewish history since the Holocaust”.
“As a father, as a husband, as a son, as a brother, it is unimaginable to meet the families who have lost loved ones last week. Their grief and pain is ours too, and is shared by families across the country,” Sir Keir said.
