Foreign Minister Anand Reacts to ‘Haunting’ Videos of Israeli Hostages

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand addresses the United Nations General Assembly, Monday, July 28, 2025. AP Photo/Richard Drew

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is reacting to recent videos of emaciated Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip, saying they should be immediately released.

“The haunting images of Israeli hostages being held captive by Hamas are stark reminders of the horrors they have endured for more than 660 days,” Anand said in an Aug. 3 statement. “The immediate release of all hostages from Gaza is imperative.”

Terrorist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad released respective videos in recent days of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski, showing them both in very poor health.

“What I’m doing now is digging my own grave,” David says in the video where he is shown in a Hamas tunnel with a shovel.

The two have been captive since Hamas conducted raids inside Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 and kidnapping 251. Israel has since sought to eliminate Hamas. The war has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, as Hamas functions within and beneath civilian zones.

Anand said the release of all hostages being kept in Gaza is “imperative” and said Canada’s “deepest thoughts” are with the hostages and their families.

“Canada will continue to press for the unconditional release of every hostage, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, a sustainable ceasefire, and for Hamas to have no role in the future governance of Palestine,” she said.

Anand’s statement came a few days after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Canada would recognize Palestinian statehood at the U.N. General Assembly in September. It followed similar announcements by France and the United Kingdom.

The U.K. imposed conditions on Israel—such as reaching a ceasefire—for it to withhold recognition of Palestinian statehood, whereas France and Canada did not place any conditions on Israel. Carney and Macron expressed confidence in Mahmoud Abbas, leader of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, to lead reforms and seek peace.

The Palestinian territories have split governance, with Abbas controlling the West Bank and Hamas the Gaza Strip. Both areas have gone nearly two decades without elections.

Israel has criticized the recent push by Western powers to recognize Palestinian statehood.

“The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on July 30.

Meanwhile Hamas welcomed the move and linked it to its terrorist attacks of 2023.

“The initiative by several countries to recognize a Palestinian state is one of the fruits of Oct. 7,” Hamas official Ghazi Hamas told Al-Jazeera over the weekend.

Talks to reach a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel broke down on July 24. Parties accused each other of negotiating in bad faith, while Israel said Hamas has been emboldened by criticism levelled by Western powers against Israel.

Israel has come under pressure because of its aid distribution scheme, which the country said it put in place to prevent Hamas from hijacking shipments.

The United Nations has reported that 86.5 percent of its 35,968 tonnes in humanitarian aid has been intercepted “either peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors” between May 19 and Aug. 4. That means 31,134 tonnes of aid has not reached the intended recipients.

Israel has since announced daily pauses in the fighting to allow more aid to flow and has conducted air drops in response to reports of starvation and malnutrition.