Michael D Higgins says videos of emaciated Israeli hostages a 'shocking act of cruelty'

The President further said the videos damage ‘any cause’ to which Hamas ‘attach themselves’ as he called for urgent action to alleviate the crisis in Gaza.

PRESIDENT MICHAEL D HIGGINS has condemned the footage released by Hamas of two emaciated Israeli hostages as showing “a shocking act of cruelty”.

Higgins made the comments in a statement released this evening.

Earlier today, he spoke of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza at Wexford’s Fleadh Cheoil. He called on the UN to do more for the people of Gaza, and said that the current measure of air-dropping food into the ravaged territory was not good enough.

This evening, Higgins said that the world is witnessing the lowest level of human behaviour “with images like these occurring at the same time as children are deprived of medicine and mothers are deprived of water and the necessary means of addressing malnutrition as they watch their children die”.

Starvation and malnutrition has spread across Gaza. Six adults have died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours, according to the health ministry. This brings the total number of malnutrition-related deaths in the past five weeks to 82.

Ninety-three children have died from malnutrition-related deaths since the current conflict began in 2023.

As pressure ramps up on Israel to withdraw from the besieged Gaza Strip – or to lessen its heavy and frequent attacks, which have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians – three videos released by the terrorist group they claim to solely target has led to widespread condemnation of Hamas and a declaration by members of the EU that the militant group must have no role in Palestine’s future.

In the footage, 21-year-old Rom Braslavski, a German-Israeli, and 24-year-old Evyatar David both appear weak and malnourished. The two young men were kidnapped and taken hostage during Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023.

The footage of Mr David showed him digging what he said in the staged video was his own grave, triggering particular outrage.

The EU, France, and Germany expressed shock at the footage and called it inhumane. French President Emmanuel Macron and German leader Friedrich Merz said that Hamas must have no role in ruling the 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,” Macron said.

Higgins said that actions such as this “damages any cause to which [Hamas] attaches themselves”.

“All of these actions must not just receive the opprobrium of the world,” he said, referring too both the videos and malnutrition affecting people within Gaza, “but must lead to practical actions that cannot wait until September to be addressed.

“I repeat the suggestion which I have made previously with regard to how Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter may provide a mechanism for ensuring safe access of aid.”