Hamas are like Nazis and it’s outrageous that they’re celebrated on British streets, says Israeli ambassador

Israel’s ambassador to the UK likened Hamas to the Nazis and condemned as “outrageous” the behaviour of supporters in Britain who celebrated their “war crimes”.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Tzipi Hotovely said the attacks were a stark reminder of “the dark times in Jewish history” while she urged the West to continue its support as Israel embarked on “war” in Gaza. She described the assault on Israel as “pure evil”.

The ambassador also revealed how she has had to leave two daughters in Israel after flying back to the UK a day after the attacks because all flights were full.

Ms Hotovely was speaking after a visit to the London embassy from James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, who lit a candle in memory of more than 700 Israelis killed - the single biggest loss of life in a day since independence in 1948.

Mr Cleverly told the ambassador that the UK “stands shoulder to shoulder” with Israel and offered “unambiguous” support. 

“This is terrorism, perpetrated by a terrorist organisation, these people have been murdered and we should be clear that there can never be justification for the brutal targeting of civilians in this way,” said Mr Cleverly.

Ms Hotovely told The Telegraph Israel would now hit back at Hamas and needed support in the West for some time to come. “We need the Western support for Israel’s actions. War is not a nice thing. But we need to do this war,” she said.

She said the latest intelligence suggested more than 1,000 Hamas fighters had infiltrated Israel on Saturday morning in what is widely seen as a gross failure of intelligence.

‘This is killing Jews in cold blood’

But the actions of the terrorists in indiscriminately killing the young, the elderly and the infirm was a stark reminder of the persecution of Jews over centuries.

“The actions of Hamas are like Nazi actions,” said Ms Hotovely. “I don’t want to get into the Holocaust comparison but it is something that reminds us of the brutality against Jews in our history.

“They [the terrorists] walked into people’s houses, into people’s living rooms, walking with guns from one living room to another, from one dining room to another, and just killing whoever they came across. This is killing Jewish people in cold blood.”

Hamas, she added, was also like Islamic State. “We’re dealing with Isis mentality. We need to realise this is a war against a barbaric and cruel terror organisation that, if it could, would slaughter all the people in Tel Aviv and all the people in Jerusalem.

She said the videos she had seen showed “atrocities.. that were emotionally tearing us part”, adding: “You see parents sitting in a shelter and their child was executed on the other side of the door.”

She said Israel had an obligation to protect its people. “We’re going on this war, to make sure it won’t happen again,” she said, adding: “We are here in a moment where the Western civilization needs to stand with Israel, because this is a fight about freedom values, this is fighting for the Jews to exist.”

She said women with dementia had been kidnapped and taken hostage in Gaza.

‘Even the worst days of Isis weren’t like this’

Asked what she made of supporters on the streets of the UK supporting the murders, Ms Hotovely said: “It’s outrageous. Imagine if 1,000 Americans had been killed in an Isis attack, and people went on to the streets of London to support that and say ‘Isis is a great organisation’ and ‘it’s a good thing they killed all those Americans’. But this is the Isis mentality that they bought [into]. Even the worst days of Isis you didn’t have this type of massacre.

“You see the barbaric actions of war crimes [committed by Hamas] that some people glorify. Glorifying war crimes is something that, again, shows the cruelty of the enemy. People don’t have the moral values to understand what’s evil.”

The ambassador had been at home in Israel with her husband and their three daughters when they woke early on Saturday morning to the sound of warning sirens going off across the country. Ms Hotovely, who had been visiting Israel during the Jewish holidays, immediately knew this was more than a routine warning. Although religious, she switched on her phone realising there was an emergency.

She had been due to return to London on Monday but was unable to bring all her children with her, leaving two daughters, aged nine and five, and her husband behind. “We couldn’t [all] get tickets to get back,” she said.