Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has declared that diplomatic moves to recognize a Palestinian state have “assassinated the chances to reach a hostage deal.” He argued that these actions have only served to embolden Hamas and reward their use of terror, calling the moves “immoral” and “politically foolish.” Sa’ar’s remarks followed the release of videos of two Israeli captives, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, in a distressing state.
Sa’ar characterized the release of the videos as a “sadistic propaganda campaign,” with the visible starvation and torture being a “deliberate and well-planned” tactic. He condemned the cruelty of Hamas in no uncertain terms, drawing a shocking parallel between their actions and the historical crimes of the Nazis and ISIS. The minister’s message was that the terror group is using the hostages as pawns in a political and psychological war.
The foreign minister also took issue with the lack of international oversight regarding the remaining captives. He highlighted the fact that the Red Cross has not been granted access to the 50 hostages, despite an explicit agreement. Sa’ar also addressed the humanitarian narrative in Gaza, calling the “starvation narrative” a “fake propaganda campaign” that is contradicted by the steady flow of aid into the region.
In an effort to elevate the issue to a global stage, Sa’ar announced his impending trip to New York to address a special UN Security Council session he initiated. He plans to use this forum to highlight hostage-taking as a dangerous global phenomenon and to urge the world to take a firm, unified stance against it. He concluded his remarks by warning against the “false symmetry” between the victims and their captors.