‘Abject cruelty’: European leaders express outrage at propaganda videos with emaciated hostages

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In one clip, Evyatar David is seen in an underground tunnel digging what he says he fears is his own grave.By Vered Weiss, World Israel NewsLeaders from the European Union, Britain, France, and Germany have denounced recent propaganda videos released by Gaza terror groups showing two visibly malnourished Israeli hostages, calling for Hamas to be disarmed and barred from any role in governing the Strip.The footage features 21-year-old Rom Braslavski and 24-year-old Evyatar David, both abducted during the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led assault that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza.In the most disturbing clip, approved for publication Saturday, David is seen in an underground tunnel digging what he says he fears is his own grave.French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the release, describing it as proof of the captors’ “inhumanity without bounds” and “abject cruelty.”He stressed, “The absolute priority for France is the immediate release of all the hostages.” Macron added, “We must have the total demilitarization of Hamas, its complete exclusion from any form of governance and the recognition of Israel by the state of Palestine.”He vowed to “work without respite” toward “the re-establishment without delay of a ceasefire, and to allow the mass delivery of humanitarian aid, still blocked at the gates of Gaza.”German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told Bild the videos “show that Hamas should no longer play a role in the future of Gaza.”He urged Israel not to “respond to Hamas’ cynicism” by halting humanitarian aid.UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy called the images “sickening” and demanded, “Every hostage must be released unconditionally. Hamas must disarm and have no control over Gaza.”The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called the videos evidence of Hamas’ “barbarity.” At the same time, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga insisted, “Hamas’s inhuman treatment of the Israeli hostages deserves a very strong condemnation. People in Gaza should not remain suffering because of Hamas’s heinous crimes. It must lay down its arms and release all hostages immediately.”Braslavski and David are among roughly 20 surviving hostages still held in Gaza.The remains of at least 28 others are also in terrorist hands, including soldiers killed in past conflicts.Israeli officials have voiced grave concern for the health of several captives whose condition remains unknown.The post ‘Abject cruelty’: European leaders express outrage at propaganda videos with emaciated hostages appeared first on World Israel News.