Tel Aviv (Israel): For the first time since Hamas' assault on Israel, resulting in the loss of over 1,300 lives, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of those missing and held captive by the terrorist group on Sunday evening. The office of the Prime Minister of Israel posted pictures of Netanyahu meeting the relatives of Israeli hostages on the social media platform X, in which he can be seen consoling them.
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met today with families of the captive and missing," his office posted. Netanyahu's visit comes amid strong criticism from family members who claim the administration has abandoned those detained in Gaza. According to The Times of Israel, a forum of families with loved ones believed to be held hostage in Gaza, in a statement following the meeting, said that Netanyahu had vowed to work for their return as soon as possible.
Following the meeting, the families have said to have accepted Netanyahu's "clarification" that National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi's remarks did not reflect his viewpoint on the subject. On Saturday, Hanegbi said, "Israel will not hold negotiations with an enemy that we have vowed to wipe from the face of the earth."
The families forum responded by criticising the government in a statement for "effectively saying that it is abandoning its citizens who have been kidnapped," according to The Times of Israel. Amid the fierce Israeli counter-offensive against Hamas after the October 7 terror attacks, desolation and sadness pervade every home in Israel, with many frantically searching for their family members over the last one week and urging the government as well as Hamas to ensure the safe return of their loved ones.
Speaking with media at a press conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday, a family member of one of the missing persons said, "My cousin was abducted from her home with her two babies - nine months old & four years old...Those are innocent civilians. Hamas is a terror organisation. You need to put pressure on the right people in all the organisations in Turkey & Egypt - they need to help the Red Cross enter...They were kidnapped alive and we want them alive..."
At the same presser, the sister of Tamar Gutman who has been missing since the Hamas, Dr Edva Gutman Tirosh highlighted that her missing sister suffers from Crohn's disease, and for the same, she has been hospitalised for years. She said if Tamar is not treated well, it could also lead her to death.
"My sister Tamar, she was at the Nova party when Hamas attacked. She's 27 years old and now missing. Tamar suffers from Crohn's disease. It's an inflammatory bowel disease, a chronic one...She has had a lot of exacerbations, and she has been hospitalized a lot over the years. If she doesn't get her medical treatment, she can suffer from bowel obstruction, fistula, inflammation, and abscess. She could die without her medication and without her medical treatment. And this is just my sister. And there are so many others that need medications...," Tirosh said.
Earlier on Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces chief said that the army will soon enter the Gaza Strip to decimate the Hamas terror group, reported The Times of Israel. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. General Herzi Halevi told troops in Southern Israel on Sunday, "Our responsibility now is to enter Gaza, to go to the places where Hamas is preparing, acting, planning, launching. Attack them everywhere, every commander, every operative, destroy infrastructure."
"In one word, to win," he added. The IDF Chief further said that this is a great mission and a great privilege. "We're going to do something big, important, To change the situation for a long, long time... This is a great mission, a great privilege. Do it with excellence," he added. According to the latest update, 1300 people have been killed, with over 3600 injured, reported The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the estimated 150-200 hostages are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, adding, "We are making every effort to locate them even in this great complexity. In the past few days, the Israeli Air Force took on senior ground forces officers on flights over Gaza Strip territory in order to view from above the direction of the military's unexpected manoeuvres. (ANI)
