Talik Gvili, mother of Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last hostage who is being held captive by Hamas, is sharply critical of the conduct of the US administration, which she says is rushing to advance to Phase Two of the deal, without first bringing her son home.
“They believe Hamas when it says it doesn’t know where he is. That’s the impression we were given. What was explained to us is that the second phase Trump spoke about is the disarmament of Hamas, and now it’s the Rafah crossing, which from our perspective is a kind of gift we are supposed to give to a terrorist organization," Gvili said in an interview with 103FM.
She added, “I don’t think anyone has forgotten Rani, but the Americans’ race to move to the second phase is insulting, or problematic. It suggests that things can be normalized, that deals can be made without completing them to the end."
At the same time, Gvili says she remains optimistic that her son will be returned soon. “I am optimistic, I’m just afraid right now. I want them to exhaust every possible option. When they tell us, ‘We’ve done everything we can,’ maybe I’ll respond differently. But when I’m told that not everything has been done yet and Hamas hasn’t done everything either, then let’s wait with the next phase. Where is the rush?"
“There are probably other interests involved-maybe financial, maybe diplomatic. Maybe they’ll make a deal: Iran in exchange for Rafah. I have no idea what’s going on there. I can only assume there are things beyond Rani. Right now, the importance of bringing Rani home must be top priority," she concluded.