Relatives of four Israeli hostages held in Gaza say they have lost patience with Hamas and its government leaders, after the two sides have failed to reach an agreement 104 days after the war began. He vowed to take “radical action.”
Daniel Elgalat, the brother of hostage Itzik Elgalat, joined members of three other families in Tel Aviv on Thursday to denounce Israel and Hamas, enraging his brother and threatening to use his own body until his relatives were secured. and vowed to block humanitarian aid from Gaza. The Times of Israel reported.
“Time is up… your 100-day grace period is over,” Elgalat said at a news conference. “We are going to take very extreme action.”
Elgalat's comments were echoed by Ella Ben Ami, whose father Ohad, 57, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Beeri during the October 7 terrorist attack.
Ben Ami, whose mother was released from captivity in November, called on Israel to convene an international conference with representatives from Qatar, Egypt, the United States and the European Union to conclude a hostage release agreement.
If we have to turn this country upside down, if we have to recruit our people to block aid… [from entering Gaza]we will,” Ben-Ami warned.
Mr. Elgalat and Mr. Ben Ami were supported by Mr. Eli Albag. Al-Bagh's daughter Lili, 18, is also a Hamas prisoner.
He warned Israeli officials: “We will start doing things we don't want to do…and we won't let you work.”
Al-Bagh also criticized the latest agreement between Israel and Hamas, in which medicine was delivered to sick hostages on Wednesday, even though there was no guarantee that it would reach Israelis in the Gaza Strip.
Qatari officials said on Thursday that the drugs likely reached the hostages amid a week-long power outage in the Gaza Strip, but there is no firm confirmation yet.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement that it could also not confirm the extradition because it was excluded from the deal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused the Red Cross of being uncooperative with Israel.
Seir Segal, whose American father Keith, 64, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Azha, also criticized the Netanyahu government for failing to secure a hostage deal while prioritizing airstrikes and ground strikes in Gaza.
Segal said time was running out for his father and other hostages, and he doubted that Hamas could be completely destroyed as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised.
“We don't have to come up with solutions, you do too,” she told the government. The country is falling apart…we are done playing nice.
“It's time for us to sit back and nod while you say you're doing the best you can…stop lying to us,” she added.
The disgruntled families' comments came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference in which he reiterated Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas and winning the war.
During the event, Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated his assertion that the only way to ensure the safety of the hostages was through military force, not diplomacy.
“We will continue to fight with all our might until we have achieved all of our goals: the return of all hostages. We reiterate that only military pressure will lead to their release. Eliminate Hamas. And Gaza will once again become a threat to Israel. That will never happen,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
