SICK hostage videos of a British national must be a “wake-up call” for BBC bosses, David Cameron blasted today.
The Foreign Secretary demanded the Beeb do right by Britain and label Hamas a terrorist organisation.
It came after militants aired a new propaganda video yesterday showing dual-national British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell alive before claiming he was dead.
Mr Cameron said he could not give any updates on the fate of Mr Popplewell. The Foreign Office is investigating the sick footage.
The terrorist group's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said the 51-year-old had succumbed to his injuries from an IDF strike - hours after releasing an 11-second clip showing him alive.
On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg program, Mr Cameron said: “I watched that video and you just think what callous people they are to do that, to play with the family's emotions in that way.
“And maybe it's a moment actually for the BBC to ask itself again, should we describe these people as terrorists? They are terrorists.
“If you kidnap grandmothers, if you kidnap babies, if you rape people, if you shoot children in front of their parents - what more do they need to do for the BBC to say 'look these are terrorists'.
“They really are.”
The initial short clip shows Mr Popplewell, originally from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, wearing a white t-shirt and visibly bruised in his right eye, introducing himself to the camera.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group later identified it to be him in a statement.
In the video, the footage was superimposed with text in Arabic and Hebrew that read: "Time is running out. Your government is lying."
"Nadav Popplewell, a British citizen, died today after being seriously injured a month ago (due to Zionist air strikes)," they said in a subsequent clip.
Abu Obeida, the spokesman of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a separate statement: "His health deteriorated because he did not receive intensive medical care because the enemy has destroyed the Gaza Strip's hospitals."
Maybe it's a moment actually for the BBC to ask itself again, should we describe these people as terrorists? They are terrorists.
David Cameron
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari did not mention Mr Popplewell during a televised briefing, but said that troops were still seeking to bring the hostages home.
"Even at this hour, every fighter (soldier) and commander on the battlefield envisions the hostages, sees them, thinks of them, and fights to bring them home," he said.
Mr Popplewell was kidnapped from his home during Hamas's October 7 attack along with his mother, Channah Peri, who was released during a one-week truce in November -- the only pause so far in more than seven months of war.
Mr Popplewell's older brother was killed in the attack.
It came as tens of thousands more Palestinians were warned by the IDF to evacuate Rafah.
Flyers on social media and dropped across Gaza by air directed civilians to the al-Mawasi “expanded humanitarian zone”.
Israel vowed to proceed with a Rafah incursion, despite stern warnings from US President Joe Biden against the move.
Mr Cameron said: "For there to be a major offensive in Rafah, there would have to be an absolutely clear plan about how you save lives, how you move people out the way, how you make sure they're fed.
“We have seen no such plan... so we don't support an offensive in that way."
While President Biden threatened to withhold the sale of weapons to attack if the IDF continues into Rafah, Mr Cameron said an immediate UK arms embargo wouldn’t be a “wise path”.
HAMAS is an Islamist militant group founded in 1987 during the first Palestinian Intifada or uprising against Israel.
On October 7, 2023, they launched surprise land, air, and sea attacks on Israel, killing over 200 Israelis and leaving thousands more injured.
Hamas got its name from "Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia," which is Arabic for Islamic Resistance Movement.
Over the years, Hamas has carried out shooting, bombing, and rocket attacks in Israel.
In 1997, the US designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel.
The IDF said that the group had fired over 2,000 rockets from Gaza, while some militants entered the state via land, sea, and air using paragliders.
He said: "The UK provides less than one per cent of Israel's weapons and it's not a state supplier.
“We have a licensing system and those licences can be closed if it's judged there's a serious risk of a serious international human rights violation."
The Foreign Secretary added that stopping arms supplies would “strengthen Hamas” and lessen the chance of a hostage deal.
A BBC spokesperson said: “No-one consuming BBC News can be left unaware of the horrific nature of Hamas’ acts.
We’ve made our long-standing position on this matter very clear - we use the word terrorist when it is attributed to others, such as the UK Government.”
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