Families affiliated with the Tikva Forum convened on Wednesday with Minister Ron Dermer to receive an update on the ongoing efforts to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza.
Following the discussion, participants voiced alarm over the prospect of a limited agreement that would exclude some of the captives. “We understood once again that the State of Israel is negotiating over a limited number of hostages – and all the rest will be abandoned in Gaza for at least several months,” said Ditza and Yaron Or and Zvika Mor of the Tikva Forum. “This is unacceptable. It is forbidden to select among the hostages. All the hostages must be released together – in one go and on one bus.”
The families urged Minister Dermer to dramatically ramp up the pressure on Hamas, proposing a cessation of humanitarian assistance, the dismantling of utilities such as power, water, and internet, the destruction of entire neighborhoods, and even the seizure of territory as bargaining tools, alongside escalating both diplomatic and military action.
When they pressed Dermer for a specific strategy on how the government planned to recover every hostage swiftly, they were met with silence.
“The Israeli government must force Hamas to return all the hostages by using all means of pressure at its disposal,” they declared in closing.
{Matzav.com Israel}