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.”
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