Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued a searing indictment of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad during a state visit to Lithuania on Monday, holding up photos of two visibly emaciated Israeli hostages and declaring that their treatment constitutes crimes against humanity that should “shake the conscience of the entire world.”
Standing alongside Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, Herzog displayed the shocking images of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, whose skeletal appearances were revealed in videos released by their captors last week. Braslavski’s footage was published by Palestinian Islamic Jihad on July 31; Hamas followed with video of David the next day.
“These horrifying images are further evidence of the cruel torture inflicted on innocent Israelis held by Hamas,” Herzog said. “Even as Israel ensures the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, its citizens are being starved, beaten, and denied the most basic human rights.”
David, Herzog noted, is of Lithuanian heritage—a connection that visibly added weight to the moment. “Look at the hand of the captor—well-fed—compared to Evyatar’s emaciated frame,” he said. “He is in immediate, life-threatening danger.”
“A chilling reminder”
The president’s remarks placed renewed global attention on the plight of the remaining hostages in Gaza. As of August 2025, 20 captives are believed to be alive, out of the 251 Israelis and foreign nationals abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 invasion and massacre.
“These hostages are the victims of horrific crimes against humanity,” Herzog declared. “These horrendous images are yet another chilling reminder: While Israel delivers humanitarian aid into Gaza, innocent Israelis are held underground, tortured and stripped of all rights.”
He called for renewed international focus and urgency in securing their release, warning that silence and moral equivocation only embolden the hostage-takers.
Aid and accountability
In his meeting with Nausėda and in statements to the press, Herzog also addressed the broader humanitarian and diplomatic landscape.
He emphasized that Israel is making “tremendous efforts” to facilitate humanitarian relief in Gaza, encouraging further international participation in aid delivery—but placed responsibility for the suffering of Gaza’s civilians squarely on Hamas.
“We must speak the truth,” Herzog said. “The Hamas campaign of false accusations—while it bears direct responsibility for Gaza’s humanitarian crisis—is a blatant lie and a distortion of reality.”
He criticized the United Nations for its logistical failures in distributing aid and called for increased oversight to ensure that relief reaches civilians, not the terror groups using them as human shields.
State visit and symbolism
The state visit to Lithuania carried symbolic weight beyond the immediate headlines. Herzog and his wife, First Lady Michal Herzog, were received with full honors in Vilnius—a city that was once a vibrant center of Jewish life before the Holocaust.
The president’s invocation of Evyatar David’s Lithuanian roots during the press conference underscored the enduring connection between past and present Jewish suffering—reminding the world that for Jews, October 7 is not just a national trauma, but part of an ongoing historical struggle for survival and dignity.
“The key is the hostages”
In closing, Herzog returned to what he called “the key” to resolving the Gaza crisis: bringing the hostages home.
“This is not only a humanitarian imperative,” he said. “It is a moral test for the international community.”
As the images of starved Israeli captives circulate the globe, Herzog’s message could not be clearer: No ceasefire, no aid program, no diplomatic maneuver will mean anything if the world cannot stand against this brutality—and demand justice for the innocent.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates
