A statement released by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office welcomes the release of the three Israeli hostages, but says that Israel will not accept the harsh images seen in their handover.
“The government of Israel embraces the three returnees,” says the statement from Netanyahu, who is spending the weekend in the US.
“The shocking images we saw today will not pass without response,” the statement says.
The three, Eli Sharabi, Or Levy and Ohad Ben Ami, appeared severely malnourished and frail as they were made to take part in a Hamas propaganda ceremony.
“The government, together with security officials, will support them and their families. Israel is committed to bringing back all the hostages and missing,” the PMO statement says.
A second statement by Netanyahu’s office, says Israel will take unspecified actions.
“Due to the harsh condition of the three hostages and the repeated violations of the Hamas terror groups, the prime minister has ordered that Israel will not gloss over this and will take action as needed,” the statement says.
Officials decline to specify what actions Israel will take.
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 8, 2025
