A family member of a Hamas hostage has called on the terror group to carry out the “immediate release” of all civilians.
Noam Sagi, whose 75-year-old mother was taken hostage, said those captured under the age of 18 and over the age of 65 should be prioritised in a desperate plea.
Up to 150 people were taken captive when Hamas launched its surprise attack on 7 October, Israel said.
Speaking on GB News, Sagi spoke about his anguish upon hearing how “vulnerable” people had been “snatched” to be used as pawns in Hamas’s war with Israel.
Noam Sagi spoke to GB News' Lisa Hartle
GB NEWS
“My main message is for the immediate release of all civilians”, he said.
“Especially the under 18s and over 65s, without any conditions. Release them in accordance with international law.
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“In a war there is rules and we have to act within those rules. If it is soldier to soldier, I understand. If you want to fight, fight.
“How can you fight over a nine-month-old baby and an 80-year old sick woman?”
Sagi had originally been planning to collect his mother from the airport today to celebrate her 75th birthday.
He lives in Cricklewood, North London, having grown up in a kibbutz near the Gaza border.
Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in GazaReuters“I was supposed to be on my way to pick her up, she was very much looking forward to coming here”, he told Lisa Hartle.
“On the 7 October, my mum had an exchange with my sister. She said that she is seeing and hearing people outside and was really worried, and went into her safe room.
“In the kibbutz, there is a safe room in every house to protect people from shelling and rockets, not from people coming in.
“It is heartbreaking. Every picture I see it’s people I grew up with, people I know. It’s like one big family.
Israel-Hamas war latest: Hamas attempting to infiltrate via sea as Gaza encircled by 360,000 Israeli troopsReuters“You go through the pain of each of the families.”
Sagi told GB News that he is trying to remain positive as he continues to call on Hamas to release its hostages.
“Everyone needs to prioritise the young kids and babies”, he said.
“Their only crime is being Jewish, living in Israel. They need to be out of that.
“I’m trying to stay positive, head on, and call on anyone with a pumping heart to get the under 18s and over 65s out of this first.”
Sagi also took time to criticise the BBC for their failure to brand Hamas a terrorist group.
The BBC has come under fire for their coverage of the conflict due to their insistence on calling Hamas ‘militants’ instead of terrorists, despite the group appearing on the Government terrorism watchlist.
“I ask the BBC to call it for what it is”, Sagi said.
“Hamas is an organisation that came to do one thing and one thing only.”
