LONDON, Aug 10, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Relatives of Israeli hostages seized on October 7 rallied Sunday with supporters in London, demanding their release and criticising the UK government's decision to potentially recognise a Palestinian state next month.

Organisers Stop the Hate UK and several Jewish organisations said the march and rally at Downing Street was in part aimed at urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to prioritise the release of the remaining hostages.

Out of 251 hostages captured during militant group Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

It comes after Starmer announced on July 30 that the UK will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various "substantive steps", including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.

The UK leader also detailed several demands for Hamas, including releasing all the hostages, but has not said that that is a precondition for the UK recognition step.

Israel has condemned the British announcement, and earlier this week said it intends to launch a new offensive in the territory in order to control Gaza City.

Hostages' family members have also criticised the UK move, in particular the apparent decision not to make Palestinian statehood recognition conditional on their release.

Noga Guttman, the cousin of 24-year-old hostage Evyatar David, was among the hundreds to attend Sunday's London event, according to organisers.

Hamas released a video earlier this week in which an emaciated David was shown purportedly digging his own grave, sparking worldwide revulsion.

Organisers said other attendees included the relatives of Avinatan Or, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival with his girlfriend Noa Argamani.

Sunday's rally featured speeches by various relatives of some of the 251 hostages, as attendees waved Israeli flags and voiced their support.

"The situation for the hostages is absolutely desperate," a spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism, one of the groups attending, said.

"People from right across the Jewish community, from every denomination are uniting with us to say that the UK must focus all of its diplomatic pressure on securing the return of the hostages."