Hostage’s mom suggests Hamas take sons of 5 military officials in exchange for all captives

Ditza Or, mother of Hamas hostage Avinatan Or, makes a televised offer to the terror group to free the remaining 109 captives in exchange for the sons of five military officials she accuses of failing to exert sufficient military pressure on the terror group.

During an interview on Channel 12 last night, Or addresses Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

“Sinwar, you scoundrel, a new deal for you,” she says. “I offer you to free 109 hostages in one go, and in return to get only five hostages.

“The first is the son of Herzi Halevi, a chief of staff [of the IDF] who doesn’t know how to win; the second is the son of [Yoav] Gallant, a defense minister who declared that we can’t win; the third is the son of Yifat [Tomer-Yerushalmi], the military advocate general who has forgotten what side she’s on; the fourth is the son of the Shin Bet chief [Ronen Bar], who knew at 4 a.m. [on October 7] that an attack was beginning and still allowed the Nova festival to continue normally even though the many hundreds who were murdered and kidnapped from there could have be saved; and the fifth is the son of [hostage negotiations team member and former IDF general] Nitzan Alon, who is so sure he can bring back [hostages] in stages.”

Or belongs to an ideological minority among the hostage families that has pushed for their loved ones to be returned via military pressure rather than through negotiation, and has directed its criticism mainly at military and other officials rather than at the government.

Both journalists who hosted the interview, as well as the Keshet production company and the three other panelists who were in the studio while the remarks were made, express reservations about the content of Or’s offer, while clarifying that they’re not in a position to directly criticize the mother of a hostage.