Hostage Forum: Government has chosen to ‘give up the lives of the hostages’

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issues a statement following the renewal of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, accusing the government of “choosing to give up the lives of the hostages.”

“The greatest fear of the families, of the hostages and of Israeli citizens has been realized,” it says. “We are horrified, furious and scared by the intentional shattering of the process of returning our loved ones from the terrible Hamas captivity.”

“The return to fighting before the return of the last hostage will cost us the 59 hostages who are still in Gaza and who can still be saved and returned,” the forum says, adding that a statement saying the move is aimed at returning the hostages is “complete misdirection” since “military pressure endangers hostages and soldiers.”

Of the 59, only 24 are believed to be alive. The families of the rest are seeking the return of their loved ones to be able to properly bid farewell and bury them.

“The ceasefire must be resumed. Many lives are at stake,” the forum concludes, asking US President Donald Trump to continue to work for the release of all abductees. “There will be no security, no victory and no redemption until the last hostage returns home.”