Herzog in Estonia: "The World is Falling into Hamas's Propaganda Trap"
During a political visit to Estonia, President Isaac Herzog sharply criticized Hamas propaganda, called for the release of hostages, and presented the gap between staged images from Gaza and the difficult condition of hostages in captivity.
President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal landed today (Wednesday) for a state visit to Estonia, where they met with Estonian President Alar Karis at the Presidential Palace in Tallinn. The two discussed the situation in the Middle East, the fight against terrorism, and Israel-Europe relations.
During a joint press conference, Herzog addressed the hostages' situation and presented updated photos of Avitar David and Rom Braslavsky. According to him, "Avitar is skin and bones, under severe threat to his life. Next to him - his captor, with a fat hand. There is food there. Same with Rom Braslavsky - in difficult condition. All hostages are in mortal danger. Want progress? First release the hostages."
Herzog attacked Hamas's propaganda campaign, which included an image published in German media showing Gaza residents photographed holding pots: "This is staged. Behind them there is food. We don't deny the humanitarian need, but we demand that the world not fall for Hamas's lies."
According to him, in the past week Israel brought 30,000 tons of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including 30 tons air-dropped: "The UN holds hundreds of trucks and cannot distribute them. Instead of dealing with reality - they engage in campaigns."
In his full statement to the media, Herzog called on the international community to pressure Hamas to release the hostages: "I call from here - don't remain indifferent. Don't stay silent until the last hostage returns home. This is a moral, legal and human obligation."
He later addressed the two-state solution and said: "Following October 7th, Israeli public trust in this idea was severely damaged. You cannot talk about borders when the next day a terrorist organization breaks through, massacres, rapes and kidnaps. Any solution must be based on security and trust. Otherwise - it will look like a reward for terrorism."
Herzog also referred to the Iranian attack on the Weizmann Institute and said that the ayatollahs' regime poses a threat to the entire world: "The damage to medical research, including irreplaceable clinical samples - is an attack on all humanity."
At the end of his remarks, the president blessed the decision to open an Israeli embassy in Tallinn: "This is a historic step that will strengthen ties between Israel and Estonia. Our partnership will continue to deepen and strengthen."