A senior Israeli minister tipped as one of the favourites to become her country’s next ambassador to the UK has said she considers Hamas to be “monsters” and warned her country “will use full force” if hostages are not released.
Israeli deputy foreign minister Sharren Haskel, a Knesset member for the New Hope Party in Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, also welcomed Donald Trump’s controversial plan for the US to take over Gaza, relocate the Palestinians and redevelop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”.
She told The Independent: “I think that in this extreme situation, I welcome that kind of thinking and that way of working thinking outside of the box. We have to keep an open mind and an open heart, because everything we've tried until now didn't work.”
The minister was in Washington DC over the weekend along with Netanyahu as he met Trump. Her latest comments came after Trump warned that “all hell will break out” if the hostages are not released.
She said: ”I call on the international community to use all available measures to force Hamas to release all the hostages right now. Otherwise, Israel must resume in full force our war against Hamas to bring them home now.”
According to The Jewish Chronicle, Ms Haskel is one of four names being discussed for the key role of being the possible ambassador in London although she has denied it has been offered to her. The current ambassador Tzipi Hotovely is expected to finish in her post in September this year.
Reflecting on Hamas, Ms Haskel said: “They are monsters. They've committed the worst crimes against humanity, coming in on 7 October, murdering babies, raping little girls, burning alive, grandparents, those are criminals, monsters, who committed crimes against humanity, and they just continue to, you know, live up their reputation, and it's very difficult for us to see it.”
She accused Hamas of breaking the ceasefire agreement ahead of deciding to pause the hostage release. This came as Hamas accused Israel in terms of breaking the deal by not allowing aid through to Gaza in the amount promised and shooting at members of the group.
She also spoke of her anger at the state of the latest hostages to be released with many people comparing their physical state to the victims of the Holocaust.
She said: “I'm furious, and I'm heartbroken. We are furious. Those people went through health physical abuse, emotional abuse, starved, and sexual abuse.
“They literally starved them, prevented them from medications. I'm furious. We are furious. We're heartbroken.
“Hamas paraded them up on the stage like (hostage) Eli Sharabi. He stopped. You know what? They were putting him on stage with a microphone. He said that he wants to be reunited with his wife and daughters, while not even knowing that those monsters actually killed his wife and daughters. He wasn't even aware of it.
“They were parading them, making them a joke out of them after the hell they've been we are furious about it, and we're heartbroken.”
