The Hostage Families Headquarters is requesting to be a party in the legal proceedings against Prime Minister’s advisor Jonatan Urich in the Classified Documents" affair, where classified material was allegedly leaked to the German newspaper Bild.
The headquarters approached the State Attorney and the Attorney General's office, requesting to be recognized as victims of the crime in the criminal proceedings. This comes in light of reports that an indictment is expected to be filed against Urich.
"His actions posed a concrete and immediate threat to the lives of the hostages, who were at that time in Gaza. The purpose of this request is to ensure that the truth is thoroughly investigated and to prevent the obstruction of further hostage deals by means of a comprehensive investigation into the alleged offenses," stated the headquarters in their request.
It was also noted that the request was submitted at this stage, even before Urich underwent a hearing, to ensure that the prosecution includes the hostage families in the decision-making process.
Ruby Chen, the father of hostage IDF soldier First Sergeant Itay Chen, and Yotam Cohen, the brother of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said, "The recent publications about Urich's alleged actions are shocking, not just to all Israeli citizens, but especially to the families of the hostages. The thought that a close advisor to the Prime Minister planned an operation to influence Israeli citizens, with the goal of reducing attention to the danger to the lives and disappearance of the hostages, and perhaps even thwarting hostage deals, is deeply disturbing."
"We still cannot know the consequences of Urich's actions, the extent of his actions, and how many hostages and families paid the price for them. Therefore, we are determined to get answers and be part of this critical legal process," the two added.