Israeli Minister to UN: Hostage-Taking Must Be Condemned Globally

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has announced he will travel to New York to address a special UN Security Council session he initiated, where he will call for a global, unified condemnation of hostage-taking. He framed the practice as a dangerous phenomenon used by terror groups to achieve their interests and survival. Sa’ar’s public statements were made in the context of recent videos released by Hamas.
The minister condemned what he called a “sadistic propaganda campaign” by Hamas, which included the release of distressing videos showing two Israeli captives, Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, in a state of severe distress. Sa’ar asserted that the apparent starvation and torture of the hostages were “deliberate and well-planned” tactics, drawing a grim comparison between Hamas’s methods and the atrocities of the Nazis and ISIS.
In a related critique, Sa’ar accused diplomatic moves to recognize a Palestinian state of “assassinating the chances to reach a hostage deal.” He stated that these actions are both “immoral” and “politically foolish,” arguing they have only served to reward Hamas’s terror and harden their position. He warned against the “false symmetry” being created between the hostages and their captors.
Sa’ar also took aim at the narrative of a starvation crisis in Gaza. He labeled the “starvation narrative” a “fake propaganda campaign,” pointing to the continuous delivery of humanitarian aid as evidence to the contrary. He also expressed his frustration that the Red Cross has not been able to see the 50 remaining hostages, despite a prior agreement for their visits.