Hostages forum calls on Netanyahu to ‘disregard political pressure’ and secure a deal

On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum issues a plea to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “disregard all political pressure,” remember the promise of “never again,” and secure a deal for the release of their loved ones.

“The families of the hostages were shocked to hear that, against the backdrop of cautious optimism about the feasibility of the deal, and before receiving an official response from Hamas, the prime minister had briefed twice during Saturday against making a deal,” the organization representing many of the families says in a statement.

“Today, on the eve of Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, we want to remind you, as you have promised every year — ‘Never Again.’ You must disregard all political pressure,” the organization says.

“This is the time to lead, show courage, and bring about the return of all 132 being held by the terrorist monsters of Hamas — the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial,” the forum says.

The statement comes as talks were set to resume in Cairo for a potential agreement.

The deal under discussion is believed to be composed of several potential phases, with the first phase seeing a limited release of “humanitarian” hostages for a truce of several weeks, while further phases featuring further releases and a more solid ceasefire are possible.

However, Hamas has insisted the terror group will not agree to a deal that does not include an end to the war, and an Israeli official, widely believed to be Netanyahu, said in a statement yesterday that there would be no agreement that entailed a conclusion to the fighting.