The BBC is making deceptive comparisons between Hamas terrorists in Israeli prisons and blameless Israeli hostages kidnapped and held in Gaza, President Isaac Herzog mentioned Sunday.Chatting with @bbclaurak, President @Isaac_Herzog’s slams BBC’s false equivalence between Hamas terrorists & Israeli hostages, calling it “outrageous and preposterous,” noting Israel is a democracy, during which even the terrorist prisoners obtain complete rights underneath the legislation. percent.twitter.com/Hrusr9VUfS— Arsen Ostrovsky ️ (@Ostrov_A) February 9, 2025Speaking on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he known as for an finish to what he described as a “preposterous” narrative that equates Israel’s prison device with Hamas’s brutality. “I utterly reject this false equivalence,” Herzog mentioned. “Israel is a democracy that clings to the guideline of legislation. Prisoners in Israel obtain the entire rights granted underneath prison supervision, together with visits from Splendid Courtroom justices. Some Palestinian prisoners have even most well-liked to stay in Israeli custody slightly than go back to Gaza. In the meantime, Hamas terrorists devote atrocities and cling blameless other people in horrific stipulations.”The October 7 bloodbath used to be no longer simply an attack on Israel; it used to be in opposition to all of the loose international, he mentioned.Israel used to be justified in detaining the ones liable for such crimes, he mentioned, including that doing so prevents additional terrorist assaults. Israeli President Isaac Herzog all over a BBC interview, Sunday, February 9, 2025. (credit score: SCREENSHOT/X, SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)’Horrific’ stipulations for hostages in GazaHerzog described the dire state of affairs confronted through hostages nonetheless held in Gaza and described harrowing accounts in their struggling. He detailed experiences of captives being confined in underground tunnels for months, with little meals or hospital therapy, struggling critical bodily and mental trauma. “They had been saved in tunnels, bring to an end from the arena, slightly surviving on what little meals they gained,” Herzog mentioned. “They emerged from captivity emaciated, wounded, and deeply traumatized. The extent of struggling they persisted is stunning, and we stay extraordinarily involved concerning the destiny of the 76 hostages nonetheless in Gaza.”Calls for brand new approaches to the conflictHe stated the will for recent methods in addressing the continuing war, mentioning US president Donald Trump’s contemporary feedback about breaking the cycle of violence.“President Trump necessarily identified that the outdated trend – ceasefire, Hamas rearming, every other assault, then battle – can not proceed,” Herzog mentioned. “We’d like new concepts.” Keep up to date with the newest information! Subscribe to The Jerusalem Publish E-newsletter Upcoming talks between Trump, Top Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah may assist form a trail ahead, he mentioned.Pressing plea for hostage unlock and global supportHerzog reiterated Israel’s dedication to securing the protected go back of all hostages and known as for world cooperation in getting rid of terrorism from Gaza.“We can no longer relaxation till each and every hostage is freed,” he mentioned. “The arena will have to reinforce efforts to make certain that Hamas by no means regulations Gaza once more and that peace can also be secured for each Israelis and Palestinians.” Herzog made his remarks amid ongoing efforts to barter the discharge of the hostages and rising global scrutiny of Hamas’s remedy of them.
