Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got into a heated argument Saturday night with the families of remaining hostages in Gaza, with the families accusing him of not doing enough to free their loved ones while scolding them.
At a news conference in Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected reporters' accusations that he was distancing himself from mediators and defended his efforts to secure the release of the hostages, amid growing criticism, particularly from families of prisoners. .
Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was constantly striving to secure the release of those abducted in the October 7 Hamas-led attack.
Prime Minister Netanyahu pointed out that he and his family have a history of acting on behalf of Israeli hostages. He explained that he was injured while participating in a mission to rescue 90 passengers from the hijacked Sabina Flight 571 in 1972. In 1976, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brother Yonatan was killed while rescuing hijacked Israelis from Entoby, Uganda.
“So there was no one to encourage me to encourage the release of the hostages,” he said, “I'm always working on this.”
But he had harsh words for protests led by hostages' families demanding an immediate deal, warning that their efforts were only playing into the hands of Hamas.
“We understand that it is impossible to control emotions” in this situation, but at the same time it is “unhelpful” and “will only strengthen Hamas's demands and delay the results we all want.”
Families of Gaza hostages: What if it was Netanyahu's children?
The hostage families' campaign to free their loved ones will continue to raise awareness for the lives of Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who was captured in 1986 and held for two years before his disappearance. He said it would end like this. And his fate is unknown to this day. His family was also advised to remain silent to avoid price gouging, and as a result he was forgotten, the campaign said.
“The Prime Minister has forgotten that he is an elected official whose job is to right the wrongs that happened on October 7, not to reprimand those whose families were abducted,” the campaign said. It must not be done.”
If Prime Minister Netanyahu's children are “now being held by Hamas in underground tunnels in Gaza at the hands of despicable murderers, then Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife are the ones who are fighting for their lives to protect their abducted family members.” He will be with us on the premises,” the campaign said.
