Bereaved mother: Gantz, Ya’alon did nothing when my son was captured by Hamas

The mother of a fallen IDF soldier whose remains are believed to be held by Hamas, on Thursday criticized Benny Gantz and Moshe Ya’alon, who served as defense chiefs during the 2014 Gaza war and are both running in the upcoming elections, saying they failed in their roles.

“My message to him is that as a person, I like him,” said Zehava Shaul, when asked about Gantz, who served as chief of staff at the time of her son’s death.

“But as a military man he did not do the job,” she said, according to the Ynet news site. “It’s one big failure.”

When asked about Ya’alon’s role in Operation Protective Edge, Shaul also accused the then-defense minister of not doing enough to ensure the return of her son.

“They were both in their positions during the period when Oron was kidnapped and did nothing. They did not have to stop the operation until Oron, Hadar and other prisoners were returned. Why did you not do that? What were you afraid of?” she charged.

Israel has reportedly held back-channel talks with Hamas to retrieve the remains of Shaul and another IDF soldier killed in the war, Hadar Goldin, along with two living Israeli citizens, Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who entered the Palestinian enclave apparently due to mental illness.

“And now you want to go into government? For what? Why should I vote for you? And he calls his party ‘Resilience,'” Shaul said, referring to Gantz’s announcement earlier in the day that his new political party will be named the Israel Resilience party.

Ya’alon announced Tuesday that he’s forming a new political party and will run in April’s elections. Gantz has been holding talks with Ya’alon, also once the army’s top officer, with a view to forming a new centrist political alliance in elections next year, Hadashot television news reported Wednesday.

Shaul also attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the event to commemorate what would have been her son’s 25th birthday.

“I know you’re hiding information from me. The more you hide, the more confident I am that Oron is alive even though you say he is not. Show me that he is not alive,” said Shaul.

“I’m in a lot of pain, I have a big hole in my heart. Everyone tells me that over the course of time this hole will diminish, but I can tell you that every day it grows and grows — I don’t know where I will end up as I cannot take it anymore,” she said.

“I want Oron. A mother who asks that her son comes home after four-and-a-half years — it’s not too big a demand. It doesn’t matter to me in what way — just bring him back.”

Shaul, a soldier in the Golani Brigade, was in an armored personnel carrier that was hit by an anti-tank missile prior to the capture of his body. Six other soldiers were killed in the incident.

Since his body was captured by Hamas in July 2014, his family has waged a public campaign for the return of his remains, including setting up protest tents outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem.

Last year, his family petitioned the High Court of Justice for information about why the army declared him dead, seeking the release of the protocol of the discussions used to determine Oron’s death.

The families of Goldin and Shaul have become, at times, vocal critics of the government for its failure to recover their sons’ remains.