The Israeli prime minister's office said on 3/8 that Benjamin Netanyahu called the families of hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, sharing his "deep shock" at the images released by Hamas and its allies. He affirmed that the Israeli government is maintaining "all efforts to rescue the hostages".
This announcement came after Hamas and its ally, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), released three videos showing German-Israeli citizen Rom Braslavski, 21, and Israeli citizen Evyatar David, 24, held captive in the Gaza Strip. Both appeared frail and emaciated.
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Protesters in Tel Aviv on the night of 2/8. Photo: AFP |
Protesters in Tel Aviv on the night of 2/8. Photo: AFP
The images have shaken Israeli public opinion, prompting protests in Tel Aviv calling on the government to accept a ceasefire to secure the hostages' release. In late February, Hamas also released a video of David in a car, watching a hostage exchange a few meters away, pleading for rescue.
Israeli newspapers today dedicated their front pages to the hostages' plight. Maariv called the situation in the Gaza Strip "hell". Yedioth Ahronoth published a photo of a "gaunt, desperate" David. Meanwhile, Haaretz criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu for "not acting urgently to rescue the hostages".
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas called the videos of the hostages in the Gaza Strip "horrific and exposing the barbarity of the conflict". Kallas demanded Hamas and its allies release the hostages immediately and unconditionally.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Budapest, Hungary on 3/4. Photo: AFP |
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Budapest, Hungary on 3/4. Photo: AFP
The EU's top foreign policy official said that Hamas needs to accept disarmament and relinquish control of the Gaza Strip. She also called on Israel to allow large-scale humanitarian aid to reach civilians in the area.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip erupted in 10/2023 after Hamas launched a coordinated attack on southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Currently, 49 people are still held in the Gaza Strip, of whom 27 are presumed dead by Israel.
The Israeli military's retaliatory campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, according to local health authorities.
Thanh Danh (Times of Israel, AFP)
