A former hostage has publicly criticized Israel’s coordinator for hostages and missing persons, Gal Hirsch, following an interview Hirsch gave to Haaretz.
Or Levy, who was released from Hamas captivity after 491 days as part of the second hostage deal, shared the interview on social media. The Haaretz headline quoted Hirsch as saying that public demonstrations on behalf of the hostages had helped Hamas and that there was no need to create a sense of urgency around the issue.
In a Facebook post published Sunday morning, Levy wrote that recent developments - and Hirsch’s media interviews in particular - compelled him to speak out. “I didn’t want to be angry, and I didn’t want to accuse, but what has been happening lately, especially the interviews Mr. Gal Hirsch suddenly decided to give, made me speak," he wrote.
Addressing Hirsch directly, Levy said the two had barely spoken since his release, noting that Hirsch’s only direct interaction with him was asking whether he wished to speak with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - a request Levy declined. Levy, whose wife Einav was murdered in the October 7th massacre, wrote that he owed gratitude only to President Trump for his release. “Not you, not the prime minister, and not anyone else," he wrote. “No one should take credit for something they did not do."
Levy accused the authorities of remaining silent when recordings from captivity were received and of now shifting blame onto “Those you did not protect, those you abandoned - us and our families."
He further criticized what he described as political motivations behind the public messaging on the hostage issue, accusing Hirsch of attempting to reshape the narrative surrounding events of the past two years. Levy rejected claims that Hamas had sought prolonged negotiations and disputed any portrayal suggesting that the government had succeeded in bringing all captives home. “Hamas is a terrorist organization that sanctifies death," he wrote. “We cannot measure ourselves against them."
Levy also attacked the use of political spin and a lack of respect in Israeli politics. “Looking for honesty and goodness in this place is like looking for 251 hostages in Gaza," he wrote.
On Saturday night, Hirsch tweeted to deny that he had downplayed the urgency of efforts to secure the hostages’ release. “The claim that there was no sense of urgency on our part is false," he wrote. “The sense of urgency was very high. I insisted on speaking with all Israeli media outlets, including Haaretz. I have learned from this."