Tzvika Mor, father of Eitan who is being held captive in Gaza and a member of the Tikva Forum of Hostages’ Families, participated on Sunday in a meeting between representatives of the hostages' families and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Following the meeting, he stated that the main demand is to return all the hostages at once. "We are not willing to accept a deal in parts, we will not accept selection among Jews after the Holocaust, and we will not accept the return of our loved ones in installments. We demand that the Prime Minister take action, using the security forces, to compel Hamas to return all the hostages at once."
Mor added, "The necessary steps must be taken, including complete control over our territory and control over humanitarian aid. These two measures can exert significant pressure on Hamas and force them to surrender. We urge the Prime Minister to take these actions as quickly as possible so that all the hostages return home before Hanukkah."
Earlier, Sharon Sharabi, brother of Eli Sharabi who was abducted from Kibbutz Be’eri, and of Yossi Sharabi, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri and murdered in Hamas captivity, said, "This was a very important meeting in which we sought to deliver clear messages during this critical time and receive a direct update on the state of the negotiations and the timeline for returning our loved ones home. The Prime Minister said that the time has come for a deal. We called on him to act to release all the hostages, as their humanitarian situation demands it. According to the Prime Minister, the hostages' return will only occur as part of a comprehensive agreement."
He noted, "The Prime Minister stated that he is willing to agree to a ceasefire to advance the deal and mentioned that what worked in the north could also work in the south. He assured us that no political or coalition considerations would be taken into account in this matter and expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching an agreement. Netanyahu noted that there are several central frameworks within the complex negotiations, but at this stage, no specific framework for the hostages' return was presented to us. Nevertheless, he mentioned significant progress in the ability to reach an agreement with Hamas. We expect the meetings with the Prime Minister to become much more frequent, and that we won’t have to wait much longer."
Lishay Miran, wife of Omri who is held captive in Gaza, added, "I concluded the meeting with the Prime Minister with a simple yet profound statement: all of Israel must be witness to the fact that we are talking about our children, the future of our state, and the values upon which it is founded. The question is, what kind of country do we want to leave for our children?"
She continued, "I asked the Prime Minister, and pleaded with him, that every night before he goes to sleep and every morning when he wakes up, he should see in his mind my Roni and Alma. Two little girls in an unimaginable situation, like so many other children in the same harsh reality. He needs to sleep with them in his thoughts, wake up thinking of them, and act for them. We must bring them back to us," she emphasized.
The Prime Minister's Office released a statement following the meeting which said that Netanyahu told attendees at the meeting that the fall of the Assad regime, which also occurred due to Israel's determined actions against Hezbollah and Hamas, might help advance a deal to return the hostages.