Relatives of captive Israeli Avera Mengistu protest near Prime Minister's Office
Relatives of captive Israeli Avera Mengistu protest near Prime Minister's OfficeYonatan Sindel/Flash90

Prime Minister Netanyahu met today (Tuesday) with the families of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, whose bodies are being held by the Hamas terrorist organization, and with the family of Israeli civilian Avera Mengistu who is being held by Hamas in Gaza.

The meeting came after increased protests by the families and the wider public in the wake of the deal with Turkey. The families are frustrated that the agreement does not include the return of the captives by Hamas.

"The Prime Minister gave an explanation and reasons which I am not at liberty to disclose," said Ilan Mengistu, brother of Avera, "but we are still of the opinion that they have completely ignored our boys. It is forbidden to abandon citizens of Israel. We cannot support this agreement."

It is worth noting that yesterday at the press conference in which he announced the agreement with Turkey, Prime Minister Netanyahu explicitly mentioned the captives held by Hamas.

He pointed out that Turkish President Erdogan had written a letter to all relevant Turkish agencies, instructing them to help resolve this issue.

"Turkey does not control Hamas and is not holding the captives. Without this letter, nothing will happen. With it, there is a chance. We have clearly reached the next stage. Now a country with influence has entered the picture [to help resolve] the issue of the missing boys. We will never give up on them," the PM vowed.