Ron Kehrmann
Ron KehrmannMiriam Alster/Flash 90

Ron Kehrmann, whose daughter Tal was murdered in a terrorist attack on an Egged bus in Haifa in 2003 and who is a central activist in the Almagor terrorist victims' organization, reacted on Monday to the appointment of Yaron Blum as the new coordinator for issues concerning missing and captive Israelis.

Blum was appointed on Saturday night to replace Lior Lotan, who stepped down in August after three years in which he voluntarily held the position.

"At the time of the Shalit deal, we were very active against the deal, and for us the anniversary of the day of the release of Gilad Shalit is the anniversary of surrender. To appoint Yaron Blum, who was involved in the Shalit deal and was a partner in surrendering to a terrorist organization, is an injustice,” Kehrmann told Arutz Sheva.

"In big companies when they make a mistake, they try to brainstorm and change their direction, and here Netanyahu appoints Yaron Blum as head of the team for missing persons. Hamas must be rubbing its hands in glee. According to the mathematical formulas, in exchange for the soldiers' release, they can demand the release of 2,054 terrorists," he continued, noting that the Shalit deal resulted in a wave of terrorist murders.

"We warned at the time that the release of the terrorists would lead to another wave of terror, and indeed we were right, the terrorists who were released brought us seven additional casualties. The current head of Hamas was one of those terrorists released in that failed deal," Kehrmann pointed out.

"The terrorists received a tailwind back then and I remember how I argued with people in the street and told them that one of us would pay with his life for those failed deals," he recalled.

Kehrmann believes that the State of Israel has other capabilities that can bring about the release of the captives in Gaza.

"We need to change course, there is no more release of terrorists, there are other levers, but unfortunately economic motives have prevented Israel from taking a firm hand and causing Hamas to kneel down and beg us to take back the soldiers,” he said.

"Six years have passed since the failed deal and the murder of the three teenage boys was the result of that failed release of terrorists. Today we need to change the policy and stop giving a tailwind to terrorism. Yaron Blum, who was involved in the failed deal, will not be able to do that," concluded the bereaved father.