Families of Israeli prisoners captured by Hamas announced their boycott of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and accused him of failing to liberate their children.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu asserted his government is committed to bringing back the prisoners as he prepares for war on the Gaza Strip.
Progress had been made in obtaining information on the status of prisoners, announced an official at Netanyahu’s government, however, he rejected accusations against the PM and said many issues can’t be discussed for security reasons.
Netanyahu held an official state ceremony commemorating the prisoners’ capture, and indicated the government is doing everything it can to bring them.
“I cannot elaborate here [publicly] on everything we are doing, but we are doing a great deal,” Netanyahu claimed of the efforts to return the captive soldiers and civilians.
In protest, the parents held an alternative ceremony in the parking lot of Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl cemetery, claiming Netanyahu has failed to make any real efforts in bringing back their sons.
Parent of the two captured soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, attacked Netanyahu for his negligence, saying the PM had been unable to explain his policy and reassure the families.
The families issued a statement saying he failed to show any serious steps to resolve their cause.
Simcha Goldin, father of Hadar, said, “It has been five years since Protective Edge, but Protective Edge is not over. The prime minister, who has been prime minister for all this time, has not done what is necessary to bring back the fallen.”
Meanwhile, addressing the families of the captives, Hamas Brigades spokesman Abu Obeida warned them not to trust Netanyahu nor those who had served during the 2014 war.
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“You must first think carefully and ask Netanyahu, [Moshe] Yaalon and [Benny] Gantz where they left your sons and how they neglected them? You must ask Rafi Peretz, the chief rabbi of the army at the time, how he misled you with specific information in the service of cheap political goals.”
Abu Obeida said that Israel seeks to justify its neglect of Goldin and Shaul by saying they are corpses and remains.
“If this hypothesis is correct, why have they not taken the initiative to achieve the dream of their families to bring back these corpses, knowing that the price they will have to pay for corpses is a modest one in comparison with living persons.”
During the 2014 war in Gaza, Israeli authorities announced the loss of two soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul and later stated they were killed and captured by Hamas.
Two civilians of Ethiopian, Avera Mengistu, and Arab, Hisham al-Sayed, origins were also captured after crossing into Gaza in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Hamas has repeatedly said it will not reveal the fate of the Israelis unless Tel Aviv releases Palestinian prisoners who have been re-arrested over the past years after their release in a 2011 exchange deal.
The group announced it will be later ready to hand over the prisoners in exchange for the release of its detainees in Israeli prisons, especially those with maximum sentences.
The Israeli government asserts there is progress in the negotiations for the prisoners. However, their families believe that the government is failing to do anything to liberate them.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
