France condemns 'despicable' Hamas hostage video
"Despicable, unbearable images of the Israeli hostages held for 666 days in Gaza by Hamas," Barrot wrote in a post on X
"They must be freed, without conditions," he added. "Hamas must be disarmed and excluded from ruling Gaza."
He also called for humanitarian aid to be supplied to the people of Gaza in massive quantities.
The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas released a minute-long video Friday of an Israeli hostage held in Gaza looking weak and malnourished, inside a narrow concrete tunnel.
On Thursday, the armed wing of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad published a video of an Israeli-German hostage abducted during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.
The release of the videos has sparked outrage in Israel.
Israel's top general, army chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, warned Saturday there would be no respite in fighting in Gaza if negotiations fail to quickly secure the release of hostages.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the Hamas October 7, 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Hamas's 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures.
A total of 898 Israeli soldiers have also been killed since ground troops were sent into Gaza, according to the military.
Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,332 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN.
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The Hindu
5 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Israeli ex-security chiefs urge Trump to help end Gaza war
Hundreds of retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of intelligence agencies, have urged U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war in Gaza. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday. "At first this war was a just war, a defensive war, but when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war," said Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet security service. The war, nearing its 23rd month, "is leading the State of Israel to lose its security and identity," Mr. Ayalon warned in a video released to accompany the letter. Signed by 550 people, including former chiefs of Shin Bet and the Mossad spy agency, the letter called on Mr. Trump to "steer" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu towards a ceasefire. Israel launched its military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas. In recent weeks Israel has come under increasing international pressure to agree a ceasefire that could Israeli hostages released from Gaza and UN agencies distribute humanitarian aid. But some in Israel, including ministers in Netanyahu's coalition government, are instead pushing for Israeli forces to push on and for Gaza to be occupied in whole or in part. The letter was signed by three former Mossad heads: Tamir Pardo, Efraim Halevy and Danny Yatom. Others signatories include five former heads of Shin Bet -- Ayalon as well as Nadav Argaman, Yoram Cohen, Yaakov Peri and Carmi Gilon -- and three former military chiefs of staff, including former prime minister Ehud Barak, former defence minister Moshe Yaalon and Dan Halutz. The letter argued that the Israeli military "has long accomplished the two objectives that could be achieved by force: dismantling Hamas's military formations and governance." "The third, and most important, can only be achieved through a deal: bringing all the hostages home," it added. "Chasing remaining senior Hamas operatives can be done later," the letter said. In the letter, the former officials tell Trump that he has credibility with the majority of Israelis and can put pressure on Netanyahu to end the war and return the hostages. After a ceasefire, the signatories argue, Trump could force a regional coalition to support a reformed Palestinian Authority to take charge of Gaza as an alternative to Hamas rule.
Hindustan Times
5 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Videos of emaciated Israeli hostages in Gaza increase pressure on Netanyahu for a ceasefire
New images of emaciated Israeli hostages held in Gaza have horrified Israelis and added pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire with Hamas, even as his government considers another expansion of the nearly 22-month war. Netanyahu said he was shocked by the images of the two hostages.(AFP) The videos released late last week by militant groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad show two skeletal hostages pleading for their lives. In one, Evyatar David says he is digging his own grave and speaks of days without food. In the other, Rom Braslavski writhes in agony on a dirty mattress and says injuries in his foot prevent him from being able to stand. The Associated Press does not normally publish videos of hostages filmed under duress, but is publishing brief excerpts after receiving consent from their families. The videos led tens of thousands of Israelis to take to the streets on Saturday night and demand a ceasefire deal, in one of the largest turnouts for the weekly protests in recent months. 'In this new video, his eyes are extinguished. He is helpless, and so am I,' Braslavski's mother, Tami, said in a statement. Warnings of famine in Gaza The videos were released as warnings about famine among Palestinians are growing in Gaza. Images of starving Palestinians have drawn international condemnation of Israeli policies limiting aid deliveries into the territory. Families of the hostages fear that the lack of food threatens the remaining hostages, too. Fewer than half of the 50 hostages are believed to be alive. Netanyahu said he was shocked by the images of the two hostages and met with the Red Cross to ask that it bring hostages food and medicine — access that the organization says it has never been granted by Hamas. 'When I see these, I understand exactly what Hamas wants,' Netanyahu said on Sunday. 'They do not want a deal. They want to break us using these videos of horror.' Netanyahu said the videos renewed his determination to release the hostages and eliminate Hamas. He added that the militant group is starving the hostages 'like the Nazis starved the Jews.' The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was 'appalled by the harrowing videos' and called for access to the hostages. Hamas' military wing said it was ready to respond positively to Red Cross requests to deliver food to hostages, if humanitarian corridors for aid deliveries are opened in a 'regular and permanent manner' in Gaza. It also asserted that the hostages 'eat the same food as our fighters and the general public' and denied any intentional starvation of them. Israel's mission to the UN said it requested an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on the hostages, which will take place Tuesday. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he will travel to New York for the meeting. The videos were being used by Hamas 'to force upon us their conditions on remaining in power in Gaza,' Sa'ar asserted. Netanyahu on Monday said he will convene the Cabinet this week to instruct Israel's military on how to achieve the goals of defeating the enemy, releasing the hostages and assuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel: 'all of them, without exception.' More starvation deaths The videos of the hostages emerged as experts warn that Gaza faces 'a worst-case scenario of famine ″ because of Israel's blockade. No aid entered Gaza between March 2 and May 19, and aid has been limited since then. The United Nations says at least 850 people have been killed attempting to access aid near chaotic and dangerous distribution sites set up by Israel and the United States in May. Gaza's Health Ministry said Monday that five more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours. A total of 87 adults have died of malnutrition-related issues since the ministry started counting such deaths in late June, it said. Ninety-three children have died of malnutrition-related causes since the war in Gaza began, the ministry said. Israel's government has denied that people are starving to death in Gaza. About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel that sparked the war, and another 251 were abducted. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up over half the dead, is part of the Hamas government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable casualty count. Israel has disputed the figures but hasn't provided its own.
Hindustan Times
5 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Israel foreign minister slams Hamas for ‘sadistic propaganda campaign' with hostages after release of videos
Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar condemned "Hamas and Islamic Jihad" for what he described as a "deliberate and well-planned sadistic propaganda campaign" using hostages, following the release of disturbing videos showing two Israeli captives. Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned that hostage-taking is being used as a strategic tool by terror groups to ensure their survival. (AFP) Addressing international media at a press conference, Sa'ar said, "Hamas and Islamic Jihad are using the starvation and torture of hostages as part of a deliberate and well-planned sadistic propaganda campaign. The issue of the hostages must be front and center on the world stage!" The remarks came after videos were released showing hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski in visibly deteriorated condition. "The world witnessed their terrible condition. Starved. Tortured. Evyatar was forced to dig his own grave. The world saw the thick arm of the well-fed terrorist - next to the starved and tortured Evyatar," Sa'ar said. He drew comparisons between Hamas and notorious groups, stating, "On October 7th - and since then - Hamas has committed evil crimes like the Nazis and ISIS did." "There are still 50 hostages cruelly being held in the dungeons of Gaza," the minister added, criticising the absence of international oversight. "We see the dire condition of our starved hostages - yet they still have not seen representatives of the Red Cross, despite this being explicitly agreed upon." He further alleged that the starvation campaign was being manipulated for media purposes. "These organisations also planned the starvation campaign of lies together. The amount of aid entering proves that it is a fake propaganda campaign." Sa'ar warned that hostage-taking is being used as a strategic tool by terror groups to ensure their survival. "Terror states and organisations kidnap civilians in order to ensure their own survival and interests. Innocent civilians are inhumanely used as tools by terrorists to achieve their goals. In the case of Hamas - to force upon us their conditions: Remaining in power in Gaza." Labelling the situation as a global threat, Sa'ar said, "This is a dangerous phenomenon that could happen tomorrow anywhere. The international community must make it not worthwhile for the terrorists. The world must put an end to the phenomenon of kidnapping civilians. It must be front and center on the world stage." Sa'ar announced his travel plans to New York to push the issue at the United Nations. "This is why I will head to New York tonight: To participate in a special UN Security Council session, which I initiated, taking place tomorrow on the situation of the hostages. I thank the US and Panama for answering our call and helping convene this important and urgent meeting." The minister expressed appreciation for countries that joined Israel's diplomatic efforts. "That is why I reached out to my colleagues and asked them to urgently put the issue of the hostages at the center of the global agenda. I thank them for showing up and for raising their voice." Calling out international media, Sa'ar said: "The unbalanced and twisted anti-Israeli agenda of a huge part of the international media has once again been exposed. Just as there is no acknowledgement of Israel's humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip - and Israel is doing a lot - the horrible images of the hostages were painfully missing from the front pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and most of the global media. It is shameful!" He demanded the "immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages," calling out what he described as global hypocrisy. "Certain countries and leaders try to create a 'symmetry' between both sides - between hostages and murderers. But this is a distortion! There is no symmetry here!" Taking aim at French President Emmanuel Macron's comments, Sa'ar said: "You heard what the President of France said. Hostages 'on both sides.' But there aren't! On one side you have hostages, brutally kidnapped from their homes on Oct. 7th, tortured and held in cruel captivity for almost two years by Hamas. On the other side, evil murderers serving life sentences. The simple truth: There are hostages on one side. And terrorists on the other." He accused countries such as France, the UK, and Canada of rewarding Hamas through diplomatic steps. "The steps taken by countries like France, the UK, Canada and others are a pure prize for terror. A huge gift for Hamas." Citing statements from Hamas, he said: "Here you have a senior member of Hamas clearly stating: These are the fruits of October 7th. These countries must understand the consequences of their actions." Sa'ar claimed that moves to recognise a virtual Palestinian state derailed hostage negotiations. "I warned on this very stage that recognizing a virtual Palestinian State will lead to the assassination of the chances to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire. This is exactly what happened." Calling the diplomatic moves "immoral" and "politically foolish," he said: "These steps have only hardened Hamas' stance during critical days in the negotiations for a hostage deal and ceasefire and rewarded them for their terror. It is a huge mistake. It is morally distorted. It is geopolitically foolish." He closed with a strong message to the global community: 'It is time for these countries to do some soul-searching. If you can't help - for God sake - don't continue to cause damage to all the people living in our region!'
