Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu responded in an interview with Arutz Sheva -Israel National News to criticism he received after he called to redefine the hostages in Gaza as "prisoners of war."
According to Eliyahu, this was in response to a request made by Tzvika Mor, whose son is held captive in Gaza. "I listened to a lengthy conversation in which he argued that what will bring the hostages back is a change in approach — to stop making them the central issue. Right now, they are the main focus, and that’s why we can’t maneuver, deploy our forces, and win the war."
"I don't belittle the noble feelings people have today toward the hostages. On the contrary, I believe they are just as important to me as they are to others — perhaps even moreso. Our public is willing to send its soldiers into battle far more than those who lecture us but send their children to do far easier things. We send our children to free the hostages, but we must make the decision to achieve victory," he said.
"Today, humanitarian aid is being allowed in — in complete contradiction to Churchill’s writings about the Nazi siege. This situation is the closest parallel, because we’re talking about the same Nazi-like beast. Churchill was asked to send food and humanitarian aid to the Nazis, and he wrote: ‘Let Hitler bear the consequences of his actions.’ That is what we must do," Eliyahu emphasized.
When asked whether it's now too late to reduce media focus — something that might have helped at the outset — Eliyahu acknowledged that although what was possible earlier may not be now, the real question is about the alternative.
"In my view, the only alternative is decisive victory. We don’t want another October 7. We don’t want people who will rape and murder our sons and daughters. One option is to surrender to the campaign they're waging against us, withdraw all our forces, and receive ten times worse than what happened on October 7. Another option is not to achieve victory at all. In my opinion, we must strive for victory — that’s what will bring everyone home," the minister stressed.
"We must give the IDF the order to maneuver. Yes, it's dangerous for the soldiers and the hostages — but we are in a war. And in war, we are not in a sterile laboratory where we can do everything without risk," Eliyahu added.
When asked whether strengthening Israel’s northern is the next mission for the religious-Zionist public, the minister replied: "We have many missions. It's hard to define just one. I believe our central mission is for each nucleus community to grow into a full tree — not to remain isolated. I grew up in Safed and helped establish a nucleus in Migdal HaEmek. My grandfather, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, was one of the initiators, and of course my father as well, who pushed this activity alongside the late Rabbi Elisha Vishlitzky. These communities must be integrated. There’s a lot to learn from the local population. We’re not coming to redeem them, but to be redeemed together with them."
"We, too, have a mission in this generation — and the young families joining these communities have a mission no less significant," the minister continued. "We need to bring in and revive the spirit, and not allow anyone to silence the spirit of the people of Israel. We must not let them trample the spirit — and that is what they are trying to do time and again. Many people think as I do, but are afraid to speak out, because there are those trying to extinguish that spirit. The State of Israel is like a sailboat — when there is wind, it moves forward."