The fate of hostages being held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza for nearly two years "is a cause of great and tremendous pain in Israel," former Israeli diplomat Shahar Azani told Newsmax Saturday.
Everyone around the globe needs to be aware of the people being hurt every second while held hostage, he told "Wake Up America Weekend."
Images of two skeletal hostages released in early August have horrified Israelis. In a video released by the Islamic Jihad militant group, Rom Braslavski says injuries in his foot prevent him from being able to stand. In another video, released by Hamas, Evyatar David says he is digging his own grave and speaks of days without food.
"We cannot take those images out of our hearts and out of our minds. I just want to remind our viewers of this image that's been haunting me of Evyatar David and the incredible moral failure on a global scale," Azani said.
Azani said the fact that there is an image of a Jewish man being held hostage and tortured by Islamic terrorists is unfathomable.
"For 24-year-old Evyatar David, who is in this image — in an Auschwitz-style image — today in 2025, the pain of the Israeli people is visible," he said.
On Friday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said famine is happening in Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, and could spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month. Israel continues to deny those claims as it prepares to take over Gaza militarily.
Azani said that despite rhetoric that is supportive of Hamas, the world should stand up for the hostages.
"And the fact that we have an international organization like the U.N. that rose supposedly from the ashes of the Holocaust in the face of a great moral abyss to face another moral abyss like this shows you the grim situation of international diplomacy.
Hamas, said Azani, should be the target of the world's anger.
"Hamas needs to go, this ultimate evil."
He said countries that send money to the U.N. should reconsider.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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