Tim Walz condemns Hamas in statement after apparently missing question about murdered hostages in Gaza

During a visit to the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz appeared to miss a question about six hostages found dead in Gaza.

The clip, making the rounds online, shows the Minnesota governor greeting supporters and answering a few questions.

Someone off camera can be heard asking Walz, “What’s your reaction to the six hostages being found dead in Gaza?”

Without answering, Walz tells the group of people, “All right, thanks, everybody,” and walks away. 

The angle made it seem like Walz was deliberately avoiding answering, but it’s not clear from the footage whether he had heard the question. 

The clip was still enough to set X users alight, with some accusing him of being a “coward” for failing to answer. 

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign to inquire whether the governor had heard the question and, if not, what his response would have been. 

Later Sunday, Walz issued a statement condemning Hamas as a “brutal terrorist organization.” 

“The anguish of losing a child is something no family should have to endure. Gwen and I send our deepest condolences to the Goldberg-Polin family, after Hamas’ murder of their son Hersh,” reads a post on Walz’s X account. “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization — and we condemn their continued atrocities against both Americans and Israelis in the strongest possible terms.” 

Walz’s appearance at the Minnesota State Fair came after the Israel Defense Forces found six Israeli hostages dead during a rescue operation in the tunnels below Gaza’s Rafah.

Among the bodies recovered was Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who had been held by Hamas terrorists since Oct. 7, when war broke out between Israel and Hamas.

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.