Herzog urges world leaders not to engage with Hamas until hostages are released

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, currently on a diplomatic visit to the Baltic states, met with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs in Riga on Tuesday.

During joint press statements following their bilateral talks, Herzog issued an urgent appeal to the international community, urging nations not to engage in dialogue with the Hamas terrorist group until all hostages held in Gaza are released.

Emphasizing the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the plight of hostages, Herzog said, “In order to get to the day after, in order to finish the tragedy in Gaza, the terrible tragedy in Gaza, which was imposed only by Hamas, one has to get the hostages back home. Because we are dealing with a jihadist terror regime in Gaza, which we are trying to remove in order to release our hostages and make sure that our citizens on the border live in peace, we have to get the hostages back.”

Displaying images of recently publicized hostages, Herzog detailed their dire conditions and made a direct plea to the International Red Cross to deliver vital aid.

The pictures were of two severely emaciated men: Evyatar David, 24, and Rom Braslavski, 21. Hamas released the footage of David on Aug. 1. Palestinian Islamic Jihad released its video of Braslavski a day earlier.

Twenty captives are estimated to be alive. Palestinian terrorists kidnapped 251 people during the Hamas-led terrorist invasion and attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Herzog noted recent efforts by Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including the delivery of over 23,000 tons of aid in the past 10 days and increased airdrops. However, he emphasized that genuine progress hinges on the immediate release of hostages.

“I call upon the international community from here in Riga,” he stated, to present “a unanimous, tough position, including Europe, and saying to Hamas and its allies: we’re not talking to you until you release the hostages.”