Macron slams 'abject cruelty' of Hamas hostage video
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French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that Hamas showed "inhumanity without bounds" by releasing videos of two emaciated Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group in Gaza.Hamas and its Islamic Jihad ally have recently released three clips showing captives Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David, who were seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war."Abject cruelty, inhumanity without bounds: this is what Hamas represents," said the French head of state of the "unbearable images"."The absolute priority for France is the immediate release of all the hostages," he added on X.In the footage shared by the Palestinian Islamist groups, 21-year-old Braslavski, a German-Israeli, and 24-year-old David both appear weak and malnourished.The footage of David showed him digging what he said in the staged video was his own grave, triggering particular outrage.Macron, who has said France will recognise a Palestinian state in September, promised to "work without respite" for "the re-establishment without delay of a ceasefire, and to allow the mass delivery of humanitarian aid, still blocked at the gates of Gaza".But he also argued that Hamas must have no part ruling coastal strip once the war ends."We must have the total demilitarisation of Hamas, its complete exclusion from any form of governance and the recognition of Israel by the state of Palestine," he said.Besides Macron, the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, also condemned the videos as showing Hamas's "barbarity", insisting the Islamist militants disarm and release the dozens of hostages it still keeps in captivity.Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga added his voice to the outrage, insisting that "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," Sybiga added on X.Braslavski and David are among 49 hostages taken during Hamas's 2023 attack still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.Most of the 251 hostages seized in the attack have been released, some in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody.Hamas's 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures.Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,430 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers those figures to be reliable.
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