Videos of emaciated hostages spark new calls for release

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday called for the immediate and unconditional release of all Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The Red Cross described Hamas-published videos of the emaciated hostages as appalling, adding that the dire humanitarian situation must end. All forms of public humiliation to deprive persons of their safety and liberty must be avoided, the group added. UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher reiterated the call for an immediate and unconditional hostage release in a separate statement Monday morning.

The videos triggered a massive protest over the weekend, with tens of thousands of Israelis taking to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night with signs reading “Stop the war” and “Leave no one behind.” Protests continued Monday outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem, calling for an end to the war as a whole.

Hamas embodies cruelty and boundless savagery, according to a Sunday statement from French President Emmanuel Macron. Hamas must be completely excluded from holding any form of governmental power in a proposed two-state solution, he added.

What did the videos show? One video showed hostage Evyatar David purportedly digging his own grave and described him as going without food and water for days. Another video featured Rom Braslavsky lying on a dirty mattress, apparently in great pain, saying that injuries to his foot kept him from being able to stand.

How are Israeli leaders responding? Netanyahu met with the families of hostages over the weekend. While Israel is allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza, Hamas is deliberately starving hostages and documenting it for the world, he said in a Saturday statement. These terrorists are also intentionally starving residents of the Gaza Strip by stopping them from receiving the humanitarian aid that's coming in, he added.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell's report on Canada joining France in recognizing a Palestinian state.