As Israel gears up for intensified fighting in Gaza, hostage families are calling on the government to prioritize a deal to return their loved ones instead of another military operation. On Saturday, Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, called for the government to be brought down over the failure of negotiations to return her son and the 58 other hostages still in Gaza.
She accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of “waging a political war that sacrifices hostages and soldiers in order to preserve his government.” “He refuses to accept any proposal to bring the hostages home and end the war,” she said, speaking outside of the military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
“Even though everyone knows military pressure is killing hostages and causing casualties, yesterday we were informed that Netanyahu intends to call up reservists for another round that will only lead to the death of hostages,” Zangauker said. “This is unthinkable and unforgivable. The only way to bring all the hostages back is to send Netanyahu and his blood-soaked government home."
Yotam Cohen, brother of kidnapped soldier Nimrod Cohen, urged military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi not to agree to another military operation that could endanger the hostages.
“You must not authorize a military operation that will inevitably lead to the murder of hostages. This is an outright illegal order, with a black flag flying over it. We demand your full commitment to the hostages,” he said. “And I say this to Netanyahu—you're always saying everyone is to blame except you. Where is your plan to end the war and bring everyone home? How can you send the army into a war of choice that will kill soldiers and hostages, after blowing up the previous deal and failing to do everything possible to bring them back through an agreement?”
Yael Or, sister of Dror Or, who was murdered on October 7 and whose body is held by Hamas, also spoke. “Dror paid with his life for the failure and abandonment. The fate of the living hostages must not be the same as his. We all hope his body will be returned for a proper burial and that we will be able to find closure. But instead of returning Dror and the others in a deal and ending the war, Netanyahu has chosen to turn him and the other hostages into another Ron Arad,” she said, referencing an Israeli soldier captured in Lebanon who has been missing since 1986.
Or called on President Donald Trump to put pressure on Netanyahu to reach a deal.
“Netanyahu is trying to manipulate you the way he manipulated Biden,” she said. “Don’t let him. Demand from him—right now—a concrete Israeli initiative to end the war and bring everyone back. Fifty-nine families and an entire country are counting on you. Don’t let us down.”
