Mother of British hostage held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists urgently calls for peace deal

The mother of a British hostage held by Hamas in Gaza has pleaded with diplomats to get a peace deal done ahead of today’s crucial ceasefire summit in Qatar.

Mandy Damari, whose daughter Emily, 28, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza, emphasised that it was a ‘pivotal moment’ for negotiators ‘to show their commitment to all the hostages’.

‘These last ten months I’ve been sick with worry – I just can’t wait to hold Emily in my arms again,’ she said. Ms Damari yesterday joined the British ambassador to Israel, Simon Walters, and his American and German counterparts at a special joint press conference at the Hostages and Missing Families Forum headquarters in Tel Aviv.

The diplomats urged Iran not to jeopardise a peace deal. Israel has been braced for an attack by Iran since a Hamas leader was assassinated in Tehran last month. Ms Damari told the Daily Mail: ‘I haven’t spoken to any media about Emily for ten months. I am hopeful but not optimistic that a deal will be done this week.

‘I was in the room with the British ambassador, and also the US and German ambassadors and it was reassuring to feel their support.

A man cycles past trash and rubble outside a school run by the UN Relief and Works Agency in the northern Gaza strip on August 14

‘I feel that it is crucial at this pivotal moment in the negotiations to show their commitment to all the hostages.’

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas were slated to continue today in Doha but Hamas has stated it ‘won’t participate’ in the talks and neither side appears willing to reach a compromise.

Mr Walters told yesterday’s press conference: ‘We are at a critical junction for the sake of the hostages. We need a deal which will prevent a further deterioration of a situation that is already dire.

‘We urge Iran and its proxies to refrain from attacking Israel. If Iran chooses to jeopardise these negotiations it will bear responsibility for those actions.’