Ex-hostage outside Katz’s home: You’re sacrificing captives for a victory you can’t define

Israelis protesting for a hostage deal hold a Kabbalat Shabbat reception outside Defense Minister Israel Katz’s home in Kfar Ahim.

One of the speakers at the gathering is former hostage Sasha Troufanov, who laments his friends who have been left behind in Gaza captivity — “people who no longer remember what freedom is, who would give anything to be here today and stand by me.”

“You have been denying them this right for 679 days. You are willing to sacrifice their freedom in order to achieve a victory that you yourself do not know how to define,” Troufanov says.

“We do not have time for any more attempts to exert pressure or to try different negotiation strategies. You made the promise to return them at the beginning of the war and promises must be kept. Bring them home. Give them their lives back. It is in your hands,” Troufanov adds.

Netanyahu’s critics have accused him of dragging out the war in pursuit of a “total victory” that doesn’t have clearly defined parameters beyond the dismantlement of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. He at times has said he is willing to fight until the last gunman and is characterizing Gaza City as the last remaining Hamas stronghold that the IDF plans to soon take over, even though he referred to Rafah in the same light a year and a half ago. Hamas in the meantime has transitioned to a guerrilla force that has managed to continue recruiting new operatives, as Israel has refused to stage a viable alternative to the terror group amid the government’s opposition to the internationally-backed Palestinian Authority.

שורדי שבי ומשפחות חטופים בקבלת שבת מול בית שר הביטחון כ"ץ: ״אנחנו דורשים מהממשלה – בואו תהיו איתנו בארוחת שישי! תראו את הסבל של המשפחות והשורדים ושל עם שלם שלא ממשיך בחיים״

שורד השבי סשה טרופנוב: ״אין לנו זמן לעוד ניסיונות להפעלת לחץ ואסטרטגיות משא ומתן, את ההבטחה להחזיר אותם… pic.twitter.com/02SQmqyWAU

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