Daughter of Ron Arad says hostage families must be wary of government promises
Yuval Arad, whose airman father has been missing in action since 1986, writes: ‘We were also told they were doing everything they could,’ urges deal to release Hamas-held hostages
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The daughter of missing Israeli airman Ron Arad issued a plea Wednesday for the government to make a deal for the return of the hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, and cautioned the families of current captives to be skeptical of government promises that they are doing everything to bring them home.
Yuval Arad, in a post to the Facebook page of her mother, Tami, wrote that awareness campaigns will not be enough to bring the hostages home and that the government must “take responsibility” and make “painful” negotiation decisions with Hamas to solve the situation.
Air Force navigator Ron Arad bailed out of his plane during a mission over southern Lebanon in 1986. Despite decades of efforts Israel was unable to locate him and his final fate remains a mystery, although he is presumed dead.
On October 7, Hamas carried out a devastating attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting at least 240 who were taken as hostages to Gaza.
After her father was captured, “We were also told ‘We are doing everything.’ We were also told ‘patience.’ We also counted days, nights, weeks, months, and years,” Arad wrote.
“And we also begged the Red Cross, and we also flew around the world to meet with international officials to exert pressure. And there were yellow ribbons and blue balloons, videos to raise awareness, media interviews and requests for help. And that’s why I am writing these things. Because not only is history repeating itself in front of my eyes, it seems people refuse to learn from history, and I can’t take it anymore,” she wrote.
“In order to bring the hostages home, the decision-makers, the government and its leader, have to make difficult decisions,” Yuval urged. “You have to negotiate with a murderous terrorist organization, and above all give up things, make painful concessions. They will hurt us as a people and as a country, and they will hurt the ministers of this government politically. And that is exactly why there is no deal.”
“For a deal, you need to take responsibility, stand in front of the cameras, look straight ahead, and say ‘We have made a decision.’ And it doesn’t happen because leadership and responsibility are two qualities that have fallen captive as well. And they must be brought back home, along with 136 injured and hurting civilians,” Arad wrote.
Israel believes Ron Arad was captured by the Shiite Amal movement before being handed over to Iran, and moved from Lebanon to Iran and then back again.
Several signs of life were received in the first two years of his incarceration, including photos and letters, the last of which was sent on May 5, 1988.
Arad has long been assumed to have died many years ago, although intelligence reports have differed as to the circumstances, timing and location of his death.
Israel responded to the Hamas attack with a military campaign to destroy the terror group, remove it from power in Gaza, and return the hostages.
It is believed that 132 hostages remain in Gaza — not all of them alive — after 105 civilians were released from Hamas captivity during a weeklong truce in late November. Four hostages were released prior to that, and one was rescued by troops. The bodies of eight hostages have also been recovered and three hostages were mistakenly killed by the military. The Israel Defense Forces has confirmed the deaths of 25 of those still held by Hamas, citing new intelligence and findings obtained by troops operating in Gaza.
Hamas is also holding the bodies of fallen IDF soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin since 2014, as well as two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who are both thought to be alive after entering the Strip of their own accord in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
On Wednesday, Hebrew media reports said that Israel was reviewing a Qatari proposal for a hostage release deal and ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
According to reports in multiple news outlets, the preliminary proposal from Doha would see Israel allow Hamas leaders to leave Gaza in exchange for the gradual release of all of the remaining captives, as well as the Israel Defense Forces ending its offensive.
The Times of Israel Community.