The BBC is making misleading comparisons between Hamas terrorists in Israeli prisons and innocent Israeli hostages abducted and held in Gaza, President Isaac Herzog said Sunday.
Speaking to @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, in which even the terrorist prisoners receive full rights under the law. pic.twitter.com/Hrusr9VUfS
— Arsen Ostrovsky ️ (@Ostrov_A) February 9, 2025
Speaking on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he called for an end to what he described as a “preposterous” narrative that equates Israel’s legal system with Hamas’s brutality.
“I completely reject this false equivalence,” Herzog said. “Israel is a democracy that adheres to the rule of law. Prisoners in Israel receive all the rights granted under legal supervision, including visits from Supreme Court justices. Some Palestinian prisoners have even preferred to remain in Israeli custody rather than return to Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas terrorists commit atrocities and hold innocent people in horrific conditions.”
The October 7 massacre was not just an assault on Israel; it was against the entire free world, he said.
Israel was justified in detaining those responsible for such crimes, he said, adding that doing so prevents further terrorist attacks.
'Horrific' conditions for hostages in Gaza
Herzog described the dire situation faced by hostages still held in Gaza and described harrowing accounts of their suffering. He detailed reports of captives being confined in underground tunnels for months, with little food or medical care, suffering severe physical and psychological trauma.
“They were kept in tunnels, cut off from the world, barely surviving on what little food they received,” Herzog said. “They emerged from captivity emaciated, wounded, and deeply traumatized. The level of suffering they endured is shocking, and we remain extremely concerned about the fate of the 76 hostages still in Gaza.”
Calls for new approaches to the conflict
He acknowledged the need for fresh strategies in addressing the ongoing conflict, citing US president Donald Trump’s recent comments about breaking the cycle of violence.
“President Trump essentially pointed out that the old pattern – ceasefire, Hamas rearming, another attack, then war – cannot continue,” Herzog said. “We need new ideas.”
Upcoming talks between Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Jordan’s King Abdullah could help shape a path forward, he said.
Urgent plea for hostage release and international support
Herzog reiterated Israel’s commitment to securing the safe return of all hostages and called for global cooperation in eliminating terrorism from Gaza.
“We will not rest until every hostage is freed,” he said. “The world must support efforts to ensure that Hamas never rules Gaza again and that peace can be secured for both Israelis and Palestinians.”
Herzog made his remarks amid ongoing efforts to negotiate the release of the hostages and growing international scrutiny of Hamas’s treatment of them.