From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Ben Gvir says chaotic scenes in Gaza represent failure of deal with Hamas
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir welcomes the return of three Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity while also condemning the deal that led to their release.
“We are happy and excited about the return of our beloved Agam, Arbel and Gadi, but the horrific images from Gaza make it clear: This is not a complete victory – this is a complete failure, in a reckless deal like no other,” the far right politician declares.
“The government could have kept humanitarian aid from reaching the bloodthirsty crowd that is now trying to lynch our hostages — fuel, electricity and water — and crushed them militarily until they themselves begged to return our hostages, but it decided to choose the path of surrender to human monsters. It is not too late for it to come to its senses!”
Ben Gvir quit the government to protest the deal, which he voted against.
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