Yoav Gallant’s “Human Animals” Statement Referred to Hamas
On October 9, 2023, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced what he described as a “complete siege” of the Gaza Strip following Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. In the same statement, Gallant said: “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.” The immediate context reported by _The Times of Israel_ explicitly identified the conflict as Israel’s fight against Hamas. The Times of Israel Contemporary reporting and subsequent statements by Israeli officials placed Gallant’s “human animals” characterization in reference to Hamas and its fighters rather than Palestinians or Gaza’s civilian population. _The Times of Israel_, reporting Gallant’s October 9 remarks, introduced them specifically in the context of Israel fighting “the Hamas terror group.” The same outlet subsequently reported Gallant repeatedly identifying Hamas as the organization Israel intended to eliminate. The Times of Israel+2 This contextualization is also reflected i...
