Julia Hartley-Brewer clashes with pro-Palestinian activist Yvonne Ridley on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
— Talk (@TalkTV) February 11, 2025
Yvonne: "Every act of kindness that has been shown to Israel has just been backlashed."
Julia: "Are you kidding me!?"
Yvonne: "They (Hamas) gave hostages goody bags, gifts… pic.twitter.com/2aubEze6Kc
British journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer interviewed pro-Palestinian Arab activist Yvonne Ridley on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release deal.
During the interview, Ridley insisted that Hamas had been kind to Israel, and cited as an example the “goody bags” that were given to Israeli hostages as they were freed.
The bags given to the freed hostages reportedly contained a map of the Gaza Strip and photos of the returnees from their time in captivity.
Hartley-Brewer noted US President Donald Trump’s demand that Hamas free all the hostages it is holding by 12:00 p.m. on Saturday and asked Ridley, “Is there any argument that you, as someone who desperately cares about innocent people, those hostages are innocent people, are they not? Is there any reason why Hamas couldn't and shouldn't release them all?”
Ridley replied, “Once the hostages go, and every act of kindness that has been shown to Israel has just been backlashed…”
Hartley-Brewer, who was floored by the reply, then said, “Sorry, sorry, every act of kindness? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Do tell me what the acts of kindness were. The pita bread once every three days for those men kept in a tunnel for 16 months? How generous, how kind.”
Ridley then said, “I'm not focusing on the three men. If we look at the women…” at which point Hartley-Brewer interrupted her and said, “Oh, you're going to go there. You're going to go there. Didn't they look well and healthy, Yvonne? Didn't they look well? They must have had a wonderful time at that holiday camp that Hamas ran for them for the last 16 months. When you were held hostage by the Taliban, you were fed, you had cigarettes, you were looked after, you weren't in fear for your life. Those women, those men, the children, the elderly, the sick, they lived in fear every day.”
Ridley replied, “They would be in an Israeli prison, that's for sure. We've had a doctor who was raped to death and then the Israelis called it self-defense. When did rape become self-defense?” citing an uncorroborated story.
“Well, yeah, you tell me. Let's ask your friends in Hamas, Yvonne. I'm not saying there aren't atrocities committed by some Israeli forces and some of them end up in court, and rightly so, and they should all end up in court. I'm not defending any atrocities that are committed by any side. I want to know, what were the acts of kindness that Hamas did that have been thrown back in their face by Israel? What were those acts of kindness?” Hartley-Brewer asked.
“Well, they gave them goody bags. I don't know what was in them, but they gave them gifts. They gave them little mementos, Palestinian mementos,” Ridley stated.
Hartley-Brewer, who was astonished by the response, said, “The acts of kindness from your hostage-taker, the man who's kidnapped you and terrified you and starved you for months. Yvonne, what's happened to you?”
Ridley replied that she has “watched day-in, day-out, pictures of children being blown to shreds…I have watched war crimes being committed.”
Hartley-Brewer pointed out to her, “You know who puts those images out? Hamas. You know why we never see images of Hamas fighters being blown up? Because Hamas don't allow those out...those children, who put those innocent people in harm's way? Hamas.”
Ridley then claimed that Hartley-Brewer’s statement is “ridiculous”, to which the journalist replied, “That's ridiculous? They went into Israel to massacre innocent people and they took hostages. Were they surprised that Israel struck back and wanted their hostages back? No, of course they weren't. They knew what would happen.”
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