HRW denounces that the videos of the kidnapped people published by Hamas constitute a war crime
Human Rights Watch denounces that Hamas’s published videos of Israeli abductees are a war crime because they represent “an affront to human dignity.”
“Hamas and Islamic Jihad not only illegally hold civilians, including children, hostage, but also spread images of the hostages in their most vulnerable state in the world,” said Omar Shakir, the NGO’s director for Israel and Palestine, who insisted , that “Instead of forcibly filming a child, groups should safely release them to their family.”
HRW recalled that the hostage-taking and violence violated international humanitarian law. “Hamas and Islamic Jihad must immediately and unconditionally release all civilians in their custody and allow those still detained to communicate privately with their families and receive visits from an impartial humanitarian organization,” the released document said .
Yesterday, Al-Quds, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, said it was ready to release two of the hostages still in its possession, a child and an elderly woman. The armed group had previously released a video in which the kidnapped people called for their release to Israel.