Hostage families slam Herzog for suggesting Israeli Olympics athletes could ‘give strength’ to captives in Gaza

Relatives of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 react angrily to comments President Isaac Herzog made to Israeli athletes ahead of the Paris Olympics yesterday.

“Instead of going to warm the hearts of the athletes, I demand you do your job and take care of the return of the hostages via the deal on the table, which the prime minister continues to torpedo,” says Einav Zangauker, whose son was kidnapped from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, in a statement.

The president had told the Israeli delegation in Paris yesterday that perhaps “somewhere out there in Gaza, it could be that one of the hostages will see you for a second, and you will give them strength… this year we want to see the flag of Israel in every arena everywhere in the world.”

“President Herzog, Matan’s heart does not warm to see the president of the country normalizing the holding of hostages for the benefit of the Olympics, and the same goes for the women who are being sexually abused and all the other captives,” Zangauker responds.

Herzog’s office issues a statement responding to the criticism, saying that the president’s comments were taken out of context.

“The president was speaking about the mental strength of the athletes and the souls of the hostages who we can’t forget for a moment — even on the world stage of the Olympics,” reads a statement from his office.

The president also reiterated the need to reach a deal to bring the hostages home as soon as possible, the statement adds.