Adi Efrat spoke at a House of Commons meeting hosted by MPs Theresa Villiers and Mike Freer

People site in a Commons meeting room — Photo: Office of Theresa Villiers

MPs and peers met Adi Efrat in Parliament yesterday, at a meeting hosted by Conservative MPs, Theresa Villiers and Mike Freer.

Ms Efrat was one of the survivors of the Hamas attacks on 7th October. She was taken hostage and subsequently rescued. She told her story to a private meeting of parliamentarians, including Ian Paisley, Lord (Michael) Howard, Baroness Ludford and Lord Goldsmith.

Adi recounted what happened to her on 7th October after armed Hamas terrorists broke into her home in a kibbutz in southern Israel. They took her with them, but later became involved in a gunfight with the Israeli Defence Force. The terrorists eventually retreated and left Adi behind and she was rescued by the IDF.

Following the meeting, Theresa Villiers said, “It was incredibly moving to hear her harrowing account of what happened to Adi. I want to give her my sincere thanks for coming to Parliament to tell her story with such courage and clarity. It is vital that we remember the terrible suffering inflicted by Hamas on 7th October, and the plight of those still held hostage.

“This was the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust and Adi has been incredibly brave to speak out about the traumatic experiences which she and her family and friends went through at the hands of vicious terrorists. This is a reminder of why Israel needs to take military action to defence itself and its citizens.

“I want to thank Rabbi Naftali Schiff and Jewish Futures for making Adi’s visit to the UK possible, and also Mike Freer for co-hosting the event.”

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.