President Isaac Herzog expressed concern that the country had lost focus on the hostages being held in Gaza, as attention appeared to shift toward the government’s recent controversial actions. “I am quite shocked how suddenly the issue of the hostages is no longer at the top of the priority list and at the top of the news — how can this be?” he said during his speech at the first international conference hosted by the Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Department at Tel Aviv University.
He emphasized the importance of keeping the issue of the hostages in the forefront, stating, “We must, throughout this entire time, not lose touch — as a nation and of course as a governing system — with everything related to bringing the hostages home, down to the last one.”
Herzog also pointed out that the current legal framework does not offer enough support for hostages who have been freed, nor for their families. In response, the government is working on new legislation to increase benefits for those who were abducted on October 7, 2023, and have since returned from captivity.
The past week has been dominated by the government’s decisions to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, capturing widespread media attention and shifting public focus.
Nationwide protests against the government have focused on the release of the 59 hostages still held in Gaza, including the bodies of 35 confirmed dead by the IDF. In addition, activists have channeled their efforts into protesting the dismissals of Bar and Baharav-Miara, as well as the government’s attempt to revive its contentious judicial overhaul plan.
Between January and March, Hamas released 30 hostages — 20 Israeli civilians, five soldiers, and five Thai nationals — along with the bodies of eight Israeli captives who had been killed.
The second phase of the ceasefire deal, which was supposed to facilitate the release of 24 living hostages, ultimately collapsed after the first phase, leading Israel to resume military operations in Gaza. Prior to that, during a weeklong truce in late November 2023, Hamas had already freed 105 civilians, and in the early stages of the war, four hostages had been released.
{Matzav.com Israel}The post Herzog Says He’s ‘Shocked’ Israel Has Lost Its Focus On The Hostages first appeared on Matzav.com.