Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Weiner responded Sunday morning to the uproar sparked by his remarks regarding the "religion of the hostages," clarifying that his criticism was not aimed at the hostage families themselves, but rather at those who, in his view, are politically exploiting their struggle to bring back their loved ones.

"I made it clear during that same conversation that I was in no way referring to the hostage families, who are doing everything they can to bring their loved ones home — even though I also received messages of support from families in the 'Tikvah Forum'. I am speaking about those who use them," Weiner said in an interview with Galei Israel Radio.

He emphasized: "We must allow open discourse, because there is a very fundamental issue here — we've been fighting for nearly two years without a decisive outcome, and I argue that the reason for that lies in the takeover of the war by two elements: the first is the one that turned the issue of the hostages into a demonic narrative, which often blocks and restricts our ability to fight; the second is the legal establishment, which — based on false and incorrect claims — prevents military actions that are an inherent part of this kind of warfare."

Weiner clarified that he believes that this is a much deeper and more principled struggle. "This is a fundamental debate between those who do not want us to defeat terror in Gaza — because such a victory would prove that terrorism can be defeated militarily, not only through withdrawals and hollow agreements. That’s why this war becomes much more ideological when people piggyback on the hostage families."