We witnessed the release of three more hostages from Gaza with a mix of joy at their return and horror at their condition.

We witnessed the release of three more hostages from Gaza with a mix of joy at their return and horror at their condition. Their emaciated bodies are a harrowing testament to the suffering they endured under Hamas and a grim reminder of the ongoing suffering of those who are yet to be freed.

We are further outraged and disgusted by the repetition of a despicable Hamas staged propaganda display. In a particularly depraved act, they forced released hostage Eli Sharabi to read a statement expressing hope for reuniting with his family—knowing full well that his wife and two daughters were murdered on October 7 and that his brother was killed in captivity.

This atrocity has been aided and abetted not only by Hamas but by those in South Africa and around the world who have offered them support. It is not mere indifference that has allowed these horrors to unfold, but the active complicity of those who have protested on Hamas’s behalf, engaged with its leaders, and lent credibility to its cause.

We call on the South African government to unequivocally condemn the abuse of hostages and to demand the immediate release of all those still held in captivity. #bringthemhomenow