Dani Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, said on Newsmax Saturday that there are undeniable similarities between Hamas' treatment of Israeli hostages and Nazi atrocities but emphasized key differences, particularly Israel's ability to defend itself.
Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, spoke about the ongoing conflict involving Israeli hostages, drawing comparisons to the Holocaust while underscoring the distinctions between the two events.
"You can compare two events with one condition — that you state what are the similarities, but also what are the differences," Dayan said during an interview on "Saturday Report."
He pointed to the brutality inflicted by Hamas on Oct. 7 and the treatment of Israeli hostages, including American-Israelis in Gaza, drawing parallels to the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II.
"There is no doubt that between Oct. 7 and between the treatment of the Israeli hostages … and the Nazis, there are similarities — the cruelty, the sadism and the intention," he said. "The intention was that Hamas is genocidal, no doubt, no doubt about that."
However, Dayan made it clear that significant differences set the events apart.
He emphasized that unlike in the Holocaust, when Jews were largely powerless to stop their persecution, today, Israel has its own sovereign nation and military.
"The first and foremost difference is that today, the Jewish people [have] their own independent, sovereign country with its army, and we are not at the mercy of others," he said.
He recalled how, during World War II, Jewish leaders could do little more than plead for help from world powers.
"During the Holocaust, the most [Jews] could do in America and Israel was to beg — beg President Roosevelt, beg Prime Minister Churchill to bomb the railways conducting to Auschwitz," Dayan said. "This time, we do what we have to do."
"The Shoah, the Holocaust, is an unprecedented event, is a unique event, and I hope it will remain … unique in history — to the Jewish people and any other ethnic group," he said.
On Saturday, Trump issued a statement warning about the noon deadline he established for the release of all hostages held in Gaza. He indicated that it would be up to Israel to decide whether to violate the ceasefire and continue fighting.
"Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O'CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES. The United States will back the decision they make!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
As a result of the pressure, three hostages were freed from captivity. They are U.S. national Sagui Dekel Chen, Iair Horn, and Sasha Troufanov, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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