Starmer urges Hamas to release bodies of dead Israeli hostages to families

Sir Keir Starmer has urged Hamas to return the remains of deceased Israeli hostages to their families in order to “honour the terms of the ceasefire”.

The Prime Minister also paid tribute to the families of the hostages, who he said had “endured terrible and protracted pain over the last two years at the hands of Hamas”.

Hamas has begun to release the bodies of hostages who died during captivity over the past two years, as part of the ceasefire deal brokered last week.

The fragile ceasefire appeared at risk on Tuesday, as reports suggested the Israeli Defence Forces opened fire in Gaza.

Israel also accused Hamas of breaching the ceasefire agreement as it had failed to release all bodies of hostages to their families, and said it would limit the flow of aid into Gaza.

In a statement released on Tuesday evening, Sir Keir said: “The release of the bodies of the deceased hostages is a profoundly difficult moment for the families who have endured terrible and protracted pain over the last two years at the hands of Hamas.

“The loss of Yossi Sharabi will be felt deeply by his family, after Hamas so cruelly drew out their horror and denied them the right to grieve.

“I know from meeting his family just how loved Yossi was, and how devastating this ordeal has been. My thoughts are with them, and all of the hostage families.”

The Prime Minister added: “Hamas must now return the remaining deceased hostages and honour the terms of the ceasefire.

“Moving forward, we will continue to work with our partners to ensure the next phase of the peace plan is implemented in full.”

Earlier, Sir Keir had insisted that recognising Palestine helped to bring about peace in Gaza.

Addressing MPs after his return from the peace summit in Egypt, the Prime Minister said the UK had been in a position to work “behind the scenes” for a ceasefire “precisely because of the approach this Government takes”.

“That does include our decision to recognise the state of Palestine,” he added.

But Sir Keir also stressed that the peace deal signed on Monday belonged to US President Donald Trump.

He said: “This is his deal.”

The agreement was signed by Mr Trump at a ceremony in Sharm El-Sheikh, along with negotiators from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey.

Israel and Hamas were not present at the summit.

Monday also saw all 20 remaining living Israeli hostages released by Hamas, while Israel released more than 1,900 prisoners and detainees under the first phase of the deal.

Negotiations will now follow on phase two of the deal, which involves Hamas laying down its weapons – a possibility the group is reported to have dismissed – and the rebuilding of Gaza under a “peace board” chaired by Mr Trump and potentially including former prime minister Sir Tony Blair.

The UK will provide an additional £20 million in humanitarian aid to provide “water, sanitation and hygiene products” to people in the territory, Sir Keir told MPs.

While the Prime Minister defended his Government’s diplomatic approach, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of “taking the wrong decisions” and diminishing the UK’s “influence” in the Middle East.

She said the Government had “strained” relations with Israel and “rewarded terrorism” by recognising Palestine.