2023-12-06 03:01:00
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, held a tense meeting with representatives of the families of those kidnapped in the Gaza Strip, with whom he had only met face to face on one occasion since the war began, and after They will accuse him on Monday of ignoring them. The hostages’ families left the meeting “furious” after Netanyahu said “it is not currently possible to bring them all back.”
An eventful meeting
Those present at the meeting in the Tel Aviv city of Herzliya told media that they raised the tone at times and that Netanyahu did not directly commit to any of their demands. He largely read what he had written on a piece of paper, something that angered relatives according to the online newspaper The Times of Israel. In recordings shared by Kan public radio, some of those attending the meeting could be heard shouting and asking the prime minister to resign.
In leaked excerpts from the meeting, Netanyahu can be heard telling the families that at this point it is impossible to bring them all home. “Can anyone really imagine that if that were an option, anyone would reject it?” asked the Conservative leader. The statement sparked outrage among those present, with some even standing up and leaving the meeting midway. “Hamas has demands that not even you would accept,” Netanyahu also reportedly said at the meeting.
Representatives of the families held a press conference in Tel Aviv on Monday in which they criticized the government and in particular the prime minister for ignoring the families. “If you do not have time to meet with us, we will find another world leader to represent us in the negotiations to free the Gaza hostages,” they said after their requests to meet with the War Cabinet or the Security Cabinet were not met. attended until this Tuesday.
Daniel Lifshitz, grandson of Yocheved Lifshitz, who returned from captivity, and Oded Lifshitz, who is still held captive, urged the government to “immediately return to the negotiating table and bring back the hostages at any cost.” “We have heard about the horrors of the freed hostages and the situation of those who were there. My grandfather has no time. He has no medication, he has no sense of time. They think they have been forgotten there,” said Daniel.
For his part, Haim Yitzhak Or, brother of the kidnapped Avinatan Or, assured that the Security Cabinet promised to meet periodically with the hostages’ relatives, something that has not yet happened. “We sat quietly and didn’t bother until we couldn’t take it anymore. We don’t want to interfere in the management of the tactical or strategic war, but we want answers,” he noted.
The families expressed their displeasure at the fact that Israel resumed its offensive on the Gaza Strip last Friday, after seven days of truce, without all the hostages having returned. Of the more than 240 captives that Hamas took in its October 7 attack, there are still 138 hostages in the enclave, most of them men, of whom at least 15 have been confirmed dead by Israel.
In the seven days of truce, 105 hostages were handed over, but weeks before Hamas had already freed four female hostages and the Israeli Army rescued a captive soldier when the ground incursion began. Israel accused Hamas of breaking the truce after reportedly refusing to release the 20 women still held inside the Strip, leading to renewed fighting.
Request to the Red Cross
In recent weeks, relatives have also expressed their displeasure with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) because it has not yet had access to the Gaza Strip to check the health status of the captives. The president of the ICRC, Mirjana Spoljaric, visited Gaza on Monday, where she denounced that “the suffering of the population is intolerable” and demanded that the hostages still held captive in the Strip be released.
Upon seeing the area, the families of the hostages also requested a meeting with her and published a letter in which they request medical assistance and proof of life for the 122 hostages who are estimated to be still alive within the enclave. “The hostages suffer from illness, injuries and criminal negligence. Every day that passes could be your last. Please immediately reunite with those who endured hell in Hamas captivity,” the families asked in the letter to the Red Cross.
The Hamas government reported Tuesday that 16,248 people have been killed since the start of the Israeli offensive in the Palestinian territory. The Palestinian Islamist group said it will not begin a new negotiation process with Israel or release more hostages if the attacks against the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli Army has expanded operations after the breakdown of the truce, do not stop.
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