From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 25, 2023
Gafni meets with families of Gaza hostages, says will support any cabinet proposal for their return
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"
Finance Committee chair MK Moshe Gafni tells families of hostages held in Gaza that securing the release of their loved ones is a central aim.
“The government and the cabinet offer proposals, and we all support any move that is submitted, and the main thing will be the return of the abductees,” he says in response to complaints by relatives that the ongoing Israeli ground operation in the Gaza Strip has failed to secure their loved ones’ release.
Gafni, a lawmaker from the Haredi United Torah Judaism party, highlights the importance of saving lives and returning hostages in Jewish law.
But Shahar Mor, whose uncle Avraham Munder, 78, was taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 by Hamas terrorists, tells the Knesset committee: “We have run out of patience.”
“Everyone tells us that the ground operation is to bring them back,” Mundar says, but “we are being told wrong things.”
“How much longer will we have to wait? How much more of the Strip should be destroyed? The whole purpose of the operation was to bring back the hostages. Where are the hostages?” Mor asks.
Israeli officials confirmed yesterday that Egypt had placed on the table a new proposal for a truce in the war with Hamas and the release of more hostages held in Gaza, with some indicating that Jerusalem is not flat-out rejecting the draft and that it could lead to negotiations.
