Netanyahu: Hamas Taking Babies Hostage Is ‘Savagery of the Highest Order’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Hamas taking babies hostage is “savagery of the highest order.”

Anchor Dana Bash asked, “How do you intend to go after Hamas without putting sick and injured civilians in that hospital at more risk than they already are? There’s no reason why we just can’t take the patients out of there instead of letting Hamas use it as a command center for terrorism.”

Netanyahu said, “What would America do? It would take all its force and go after these killers. What if these killers embed themselves in hospitals, schools, U.N. facilities? You’d do everything in your power to get the civilians out, which is what we’re doing. We called them to leave, but you certainly wouldn’t give immunity to the terrorists. We’re obviously treading carefully when it comes to hospitals, but we’re also not going to give immunity to the terrorists.”

He added, “Imaging a baby is held hostage. Who takes a baby hostage? What is this, taking children hostage? Threatening to kill them? This is savagery of the highest order. We’re doing everything in our power to achieve two things: one, destroy Hamas because, without it, none of us have a future. It’s not only our war. It’s your war, too, it’s the battle of civilization against barbarism. If we don’t win here, this scourge will pass to other places. The Middle East will fall, Europe is next, you’ll be next. The first goal is to destroy Hamas, and the second goal is to bring back our hostages. We’re trying to do both.”

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