Israel’s Hostages Forum condemns Gaza occupation decision
'The expansion of fighting only further endangers those still held in Gaza's tunnels', the group said, in strong criticism of the Israeli government's announcement
The main group representing the family members of the hostages in Gaza has strongly condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, stating that “our government is leading us toward a colossal catastrophe for both the hostages and our soldiers.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described how last night’s decision by the Israeli cabinet to pursue occupation of the Gaza strip “means abandoning the hostages, while completely ignoring the repeated warnings from military leadership and the clear will of the majority of the Israeli public.
“As we approach the tragic one-year anniversary of the murder of six hostages who were executed by their captors, the expansion of fighting only further endangers those still held in Gaza’s tunnels”, the group’s statement continued.
“Hamas continues to exploit military escalation as justification for its brutal treatment of our loved ones. By choosing military escalation over negotiation, we are leaving our loved ones at the mercy of Hamas—an evil terrorist organization that systematically starves and abuses the hostages. We saw the horrific videos of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski. They don’t have any time left. We can’t leave them in the hands of these monsters any longer. Our government is leading us toward a colossal catastrophe for both the hostages and our soldiers.”
In an announcement last night, the Israeli Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the security cabinet had approved, “by majority vote”, five principles “for concluding the war”. These were: “the disarming of Hamas, the return of all the hostages – the living and the deceased, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip, the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”
In a speech Netanyahu gave yesterday, he confirmed that the Israeli government’s plan was to occupy the entire Gaza Strip and subsequently hand it to Arab forces, although he did not specify what forces those might be.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described the cabinet’s plan as a choice “to embark on another march of recklessness, on the backs of the hostages, the soldiers, and Israeli society as a whole. But it is still not too late. The people of Israel can, and the people of Israel must – stop this dangerous course of action. The only way to bring the hostages home is through a comprehensive deal. No more futile war. We will not stand by. We demand a comprehensive deal now!”
Approximately three quarters of the Israeli population have been shown, via consistent polling to now back a deal to end the war and bring back the hostages.
The British government also condemned the Israeli government’s decision, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying it “is wrong, and we urge it to reconsider immediately. This action will do nothing to bring an end to this conflict or help secure the release of the hostages. It will only bring more bloodshed.”
Starmer has faced significant criticism from both the British Jewish community, as well as Israeli society, after his announcement that it would unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state in September unless Israel – not Hamas – took a series of steps to de-escalate the conflict. The Hostages and Missing Families forum in Israel also condemned the British government’s decision.
However, that condemnation is not unanimous. In an interview with Jewish News published today, Yehudah Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, discusses how he backs recognition – not out of ideological belief, but because he believes there needs to be more international pressure on the Israeli government to reach a deal for the hostages.
“After nearly two years, it’s not the same old story. It’s about the solution”, he said.
“And the solution is known. The only thing preventing it is Netanyahu.”
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