Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef
Rabbi Yitzhak YosefDavid Cohen/Flash90

Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef expressed support for freeing the hostages in Gaza through a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal with the Hamas terror group, even at the price of releasing convicted terrorists.

In an interview with the Shas party's Haderech newspaper, Rabbi Yosef quoted his father's ruling on the subject, and said, "We must do everything in order to free them quickly."

Rabbi Yosef also said that since the war broke out following the October 7 massacre, a number of complex halakhic (pertaining to Jewish law) issues have arisen with regards to the hostages who were murdered and whose bodies are being held by Hamas.

"We needed to go over all sorts of proofs and the most difficult footage," he said. "The suffering of the families is terrible and horrific."

"This war is the longest war Israel has had," he noted, adding that Israel is fighting on a number of different fronts."

On the issue of the Draft Law, Rabbi Yosef expressed full support for the ruling of the Council of Torah Sages, which stated that yeshiva students "should not appear at all in the Draft Offices and should not respond to any draft orders."

"Unfortunately, we see how the persecution of those who learn Torah continues to increase." He also expressed hope that "very soon, the status of yeshiva students will be normalized, so that they can continue to invest in their studies undisturbed."

In parallel, Rabbi Yosef sharply criticized what he claimed was a "twisting of his words" regarding his attitude towards IDF soldiers.

"We love them, we pray for them every single day, that they should return to their homes healthy and whole," he said, stressing that he visits IDF bases and gives Torah classes to the soldiers.

"Dozens and hundreds of soldiers arrive here each day, and we receive them all with great love. They risk their lives for the nation of Israel, and we need to know how to show them gratitude."