Two British nationals remain hostage amid Middle East conflict, Cameron says

Two UK nationals remain hostage amid the conflict in the Middle East, the Foreign Secretary has said.

Lord David Cameron confirmed the figure during his first appearance before MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee since returning to Cabinet.

“There are two British nationals who remain as hostages. I don’t want to make any further comment on them,” he said.

Asked if it is known whether the two people are still alive, the minister said: “I just don’t want to say any more. We don’t have any information to share with you.”

An estimated 240 people were taken prisoner in Gaza after Hamas’s October 7 attacks against Israel.

During a ceasefire in November 105 were released.

Lord Cameron has declined to say whether he had seen any Foreign Office legal advice stating that Israel has breached international humanitarian law in Gaza.

Taking questions from committee chairwoman Alicia Kearns, the Foreign Secretary said: “The reason for not answering this question, I cannot recall every single bit of paper that has been put in front of me.

“I look at everything.

“Of course, there are a lot of things that have happened where you think surely that was something that shouldn’t have happened.”

Lord Cameron refused to go further in his answer, also telling MPs it was not his job to make a “legal adjudication”.

But the minister declined to be drawn on whether the deprivation of water to the civilian population breached international humanitarian law, but said: “It is just something they ought to do, in my view.”

He had seen figures showing that Hamas’ ability to launch rockets into Israel has been “considerably degraded” since the Israeli bombardment.

Lord Cameron also said he had seen figures that Hamas has “lost over 50% of their capability and capacity in terms of being able to launch rockets and all the rest of it”.

Tory MP Bob Seely asked him whether Foreign Office lawyers have advised that Israel is vulnerable to challenge from the Hague.

Mr Seely asked whether “reading between the lines” lawyers are saying that the Israelis are “vulnerable to a challenge from the Hague court and from elsewhere that in some of the things they are doing in potentially in relation to proportionality, there is a vulnerability.”

“It’s close to that,” Lord Cameron replied.