Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a fierce rebuke of UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, accusing them of effectively supporting Hamas by criticising Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
In a video message posted to social media platform X, Netanyahu alleged that the three leaders “effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power,” and accused them of siding with “mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers.” His comments followed a joint statement earlier this week by the UK, France, and Canada, which condemned the escalation of Israel’s military offensive and warned of further action should humanitarian aid to Gaza remain blocked.
Netanyahu framed his remarks as a response to Thursday’s deadly shooting of Israeli embassy staff in Washington, D.C., claiming that calls for restraint by Western leaders were tantamount to asking Israel “to stand down and accept that Hamas’s army of mass murderers will survive.”
Sir Keir Starmer had earlier condemned the embassy attack, calling antisemitism “an evil we must stamp out.” Downing Street declined to comment directly on Netanyahu’s video but pointed to Starmer’s prior statement.
The Israeli leader doubled down in his address, saying: “Hamas wants to destroy Israel and annihilate the Jewish people. I could never understand how this simple truth evades the leaders of France, Britain, Canada and others.” He added: “When mass murderers thank you, you’re on the wrong side of justice, humanity, and history.”
Israeli Minister Amichai Chikli backed Netanyahu’s position, accusing Western leaders of “emboldening the forces of terror.”
The backlash follows heightened international scrutiny over Israel’s actions in Gaza. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently described the humanitarian situation as “intolerable,” and criticised Israel’s restrictions on aid as “utterly inadequate.” Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert joined the chorus of dissent, calling Netanyahu’s government a “gang of thugs” in an interview with the BBC.
Olmert, responding to criticism from Israeli officials over his past remarks that Israel’s actions in Gaza were “close to a war crime,” said: “This is nonsense. They are a group of thugs running the state of Israel these days, and the head of the gang is Netanyahu.”
Despite the backlash, Netanyahu remains defiant, insisting that Israel’s military campaign is essential for its security. The war began following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault, which killed 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 251 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, over 53,700 people have been killed in Gaza—including more than 16,500 children—according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry. The scale of the destruction and civilian toll has prompted growing calls internationally for a ceasefire and urgent humanitarian relief.