From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Hostage families slam government after bodies not returned by Hamas: ‘Attempting to erase responsibility’
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The Hostages and Missing Families Forum says that it will hold an emergency meeting tonight after Hamas failed to hand over the bodies of 24 dead hostages.
“An agreement must be upheld by both sides, its non-compliance and the failure of Hamas to return the hostages must be met with a halt to the continued implementation of the agreement by the Israeli government and the mediators,” the forum says.
The forum slams the government, saying its “attempt to erase its immediate responsibility for the return of the 24 [dead] hostages, after the return of 20 [living] hostages yesterday, will be a cry for generations for the Israeli people.”
“Whoever takes down flags and the pin from the lapel, whoever denies his responsibility through stormy applause betrays the values of Jewish morality and violates the signed agreement,” the forum says, apparently referring to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana who yesterday took off the hostage pin he was wearing while introducing US President Donald Trump at the Knesset, and said he had ordered the removal of the pictures of the captives from the plenum. There were also reports that Transportation Minister Miri Regev ordered workers to remove the flags and posters of hostages on highways.
“Unfortunately, we are witnessing an attempt to remove the hostages from the agenda and the pictures of the hostages from the public agenda.
Please, the struggle is not over yet. Twenty-four of our brothers and sisters are still being held by Hamas, do not allow them to be sacrificed,” the forum says.
???????????????? Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana removes his yellow hostage pin before introducing @POTUS Donald J. Trump. “Thousands of years from now, the Jewish people will remember you.” pic.twitter.com/y0wQLqbMYK
— RJC (@RJC) October 13, 2025
The Times of Israel Community.