In a secretly recorded video, Israel's Ambassador to Austria, David Roet, stated that Palestinian minors involved in armed conflict should be sentenced to death, sparking widespread concern.
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03-26, 2025Roet claimed at a closed-door meeting with the local Jewish community in Innsbruck on Thursday that teenagers "holding weapons" or "grenades" "should be sentenced to death." He did not provide any evidence of Gazan children carrying weapons, raising questions about the justification for such a statement.
The video was recorded on March 18, two days after Israel violated the ceasefire agreement in Gaza. By that time, more than 500 Palestinians had been killed, nearly 200 of whom were children. Roet dismissed concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza, claiming, "If you think there are no innocents in Gaza... you are believing that Israel is deliberately targeting babies, which is not correct," further fueling the controversy.
According to UNICEF data, more than 14,500 children have been killed by Israel in Gaza since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023. These figures do not include the number of children killed after Israel violated the ceasefire agreement. Overall, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 113,000 injured since Israel began bombing Gaza, highlighting the devastating impact of the conflict.
Roet also questioned whether Europe should invest in the reconstruction of Gaza, implying that the region would only be destroyed again. He stated, "Is Europe crazy enough to invest in Gaza again? So that we have to destroy it again next time." Furthermore, Roet revealed that he maintains direct contact with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stock via WhatsApp and claimed to be the only diplomat he has spoken to. According to Roet, Stock sought a meeting to assure him that Austria's relationship with Israel would remain unchanged.
Activists who filmed the meeting condemned Roet's remarks. They stated, "It made me sick to my stomach that Mr. Roet made these statements in such a calm tone. When he suggested the death penalty for children, no one intervened." The activists added, "It made me realize how corrupt this issue has become, to the point where people with the power to change the situation are suggesting war crimes as a solution. To end the suffering, we must challenge the fascist psychopaths who pit us against each other and profit from imperialist deals."
