Danny Elgarat, whose brother Itzik is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, flew together with a delegation of families of hostages to The Hague, where they filed a complaint against Hamas at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Speaking to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Elgarat explained the importance of going to The Hague. "This is an important journey not only for us, it is an important journey for the entire world. We are here to set new standards. There cannot be a situation where Hamas, or any other organization, simply kidnaps people from their homes and commits crimes against humanity and war crimes and the world lets it slide."
Asked whether move could affect Hamas in the field, Elgarat explained that "it can affect everyone and it should affect everyone. Hamas knows that it also travels around the world and if decisions are made here against the leaders of Hamas, then the leaders of Hamas know that it can affect them directly."
He clarified that the complaint was filed with the ICC, separate from South Africa's lawsuit against Israel which is being discussed at by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). "The discussion [at the ICJ] was against Israel, decisions were made there that Hamas should return the hostages, we do not see that Hamas is upholding the decisions of the International Court of Justice, therefore this move here is also related but it is separate [from the South African lawsuit]."
Elgarat demanded that the government send a delegation to the discussions in Cairo on a hostage release deal. "What is important for us to convey to the Israeli government is that they go to Egypt without playing games, send the necessary representatives and bring [the hostages] back home."
He criticized the government which, he said, must act to return the hostages. "They allowed them to be kidnapped and now they need to send people to ensure their return."
"It is conceivable that the State of Israel allowed 241 people to be taken from their homes and in the end it does not work to bring them all back," concluded Elgarat.
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