
Danny Elgarat, brother of hostage Itzik, criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu for not making a deal faster and allowing a deal that leaves any hostage behind.
"This is an abandonment agreement for those left behind, not a return agreement. People have been abandoned there, not brought back. What does it mean? Abandoning people to their death," he said.
"They are dying in the tunnels, but everyone is focusing on those who are returning? Those who return will return, but more people will remain there. There are no timelines, there is nothing, no timeline for the next phase. The Prime Minister doesn't want to bring everyone back at once because he knows if he brings everyone back, he will be out of office."
He continued his harsh critique, "I can't understand how you don't see that the Prime Minister, Mr. Abandonment, has been abandoning hostages in Gaza for 15 months, thwarting deals. He could have made this deal six months ago when people were still alive."
He further shared his feelings, "Hostages are arriving, fine, but they are arriving 15 months late, and I don't know how many could survive when they thwarted the deal. The hostages should have been home, that's a given; what's not understood is that people are left behind."
He claims Netanyahu should not be praised for the deal. "They need to be brought home because allowing them to be taken hostage was the Prime Minister's doing, and he should bring them home. If it means Hamas remains in power, then bring them home, and if Hamas makes another mistake in the future, we'll know how to handle it. The army has long said it can handle any agreement and deal with anything. The one wants to keep them there as hostages to stay in power is the Israeli Prime Minister."
Towards the end of the conversation, he addressed the PM: "I ask the Prime Minister not to use us for publicity and PR and not to start taking photos with the hostages. Just as he didn't come to see where my brother was kidnapped from in Nir Oz, he shouldn't come, take pictures, and try to use us for any publicity stunt, he should stay home.''