Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has condemned Hamas for what he calls a “sadistic propaganda campaign” while also criticizing the international media for a “shameful” lack of coverage. Sa’ar’s press conference came after the release of distressing videos showing two Israeli captives, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, in a visibly deteriorated state. He asserted that the starvation and torture of these individuals are deliberate propaganda tactics.
Sa’ar drew a powerful parallel between Hamas’s actions and the crimes of the Nazis and ISIS. He expressed frustration with the lack of international oversight, noting that the Red Cross has not been allowed to visit the 50 remaining hostages, despite an agreement. The minister further alleged that the narrative of a starvation crisis in Gaza is a “fake propaganda campaign” and that the amount of aid entering the region proves this.
He framed hostage-taking as a dangerous global phenomenon, arguing that terror groups use it to ensure their survival and achieve their goals. Sa’ar warned that this tactic could happen “anywhere” and urged the international community to make it unprofitable for terrorists. He announced his travel to New York to attend a special UN Security Council session he initiated to urgently address the hostage situation.
In a scathing critique of the media, Sa’ar accused outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post of having an “unbalanced and twisted anti-Israeli agenda” for not giving the hostages’ stories front-page coverage. He also condemned countries for trying to create a false “symmetry” between hostages and terrorists, claiming that diplomatic moves have only served to reward Hamas and sabotage negotiations.
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