Families of hostages who met with the chairman of the Religious Zionist Party, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, heard from him that he regretted his conduct when it came to opposition to the deal for the release of hostages.
Channel 12 News reported on Thursday that, during the conversation, Smotrich told the families, "I learned from last time, and I will not decide in advance and I will not say in advance that I am against the deal until I know exactly what is on the table.”
“Last time I went in with a very solid position, and I was wrong. I studied and heard directions that I did not know and then I was convinced of the seriousness of the arguments and voted in favor. Only a donkey never changes its mind," the minister added.
The families asked Smotrich and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to downplay their statements against the deal.
In a conversation with Ben Gvir, the family members heard from him that, as far as he is concerned, any deal at the moment would not be good because, in his opinion, more pressure should be put on Hamas. "Any deal is a mistake right now, Hamas needs to beg for an agreement," said the minister.