Following Portugal’s harsh condemnation of Hamas, Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel arrived in Israel today (Monday) for an official visit, and met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem. The meeting included a one-on-one discussion, followed by an extended meeting with diplomatic teams from both countries.
Sa’ar: “Hamas Is a Kingdom of Terror – This Evil Must Be Erased”
At a joint press conference, Sa’ar thanked his Portuguese counterpart for supporting the upcoming EU-Israel Association Council meeting in Brussels in two weeks.
The Israeli Foreign Minister took the opportunity to share a harrowing testimony he heard over the weekend from a hostage freed from Gaza. “She told me that her Hamas captors said to her: ‘We will return to Israel and continue the work we started on October 7th. We will come back to destroy Israel.’ We are committed to bringing back all the hostages and achieving all of our war objectives,” Sa’ar emphasized.
Sa’ar continued his sharp criticism of Hamas’ crimes: “Hamas built a kingdom of terror in Gaza and is trying to survive at all costs. For over a year, the international community has been swept away by Hamas’ false propaganda about ‘starvation’ in Gaza. But the images don’t lie – Gazan civilians and Hamas terrorists appear to be in good condition, while Israeli hostages looked like Holocaust survivors. They were the only ones who suffered from starvation and inhumane conditions. Hamas has committed crimes against humanity. This evil must be erased.”
Rangel: “We Condemn the Inhumane Treatment of the Hostages”
Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel vehemently criticized Hamas, aligning with Sa’ar’s remarks: “We condemn the inhumane treatment of the Israeli hostages that we have witnessed, especially last Saturday. This is something that cannot be accepted.”
The visit and firm statements by the Portuguese minister signal closer diplomatic cooperation between Israel and Portugal, as well as strengthened ties with European countries amid growing international condemnations of Hamas’ actions.
