Relatives of the hostages erupted in fury after Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich stated in an Army Radio interview on Monday that the top priority in the war was eliminating Hamas—not securing the captives’ release.
“The only truth is that for your messianic and psychopathic delusions, you are willing to sacrifice my Matan and an entire country,” wrote Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, on X.
“This morning, the families have only one word: shame,” read a statement issued by the Hostage Families Forum.
“Minister Smotrich—history will remember how you hardened your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them—some from death, others from disappearance.”
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