A woman taken hostage by Hamas during its attack on Israel has given a “harrowing account” of what she went through.

Adi Efrat met with MPs and peers yesterday (November 13) during a meeting in Parliament hosted by Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers and Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer.

Ms Efrat was one of the survivors of the Hamas attacks on October 7 – when she was taken hostage before being freed during a gunfight with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).  

During the assault on Israel, her home in a kibbutz called Be’eri was broken into and she was kidnapped.

She described how Hamas zip-tied her hands from behind, “very hard and very painful”.

After her Hamas captors became embroiled in a gunfight with the IDF, she was left behind and eventually rescued by soldiers.

After a 15-minute gunfight, she described how “the terrorists retreated”, leaving her on her own.

Ms Efrat previously told the Jewish News about her ordeal. She said: “I didn’t think about being smart or to resist them, no.

“I was thinking about co-operating. I was thinking about saving myself. I was thinking about my family, who would be worried sick about me.”

Following the meeting, Ms 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 October 7, 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 defend itself and its citizens."

She added: "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."

More than 120 people are thought to have died in the Hamas attack on kibbutz Be'eri.