President Isaac Herzog and Gal Hirsch, who is in charge of the issue of abductees and missing persons on behalf of the Israeli government, met today (Sunday) with representatives of the families of the abducted and missing at the president's residence in Jerusalem. About 70 family members of 35 abductees and missing persons participated in the meeting.
Defense Minister Galant meets with representatives of the families of abductees and missing persons // Elad Malka
The families of the abductees and missing persons made it clear to the President and the Commissioner that victory in the war would be achieved only after the return of their loved ones from the Gaza Strip.
At the beginning of the meeting, the president addressed the families and asked to strengthen them: "I want to thank you for your strength and strength and for coming to talk and share, can't even imagine your worries and anxieties. It is important for us that you know that the return of the abductees is a top priority, ours and that of the entire world. We have to rely on the IDF to bring everyone home safely. Hamas is a cynical body that doesn't care if the residents of Gaza starve, the humanitarian aid puts all the countries on our side."
"Can't even imagine your worries and anxieties." The President of the State in Mepeg with the families, today, photo: Spokesperson's Office of the President's House
Gal Hirsch, who is in charge of the issue of abductees and missing persons on behalf of the Israeli government, added: "There is no lock in the negotiations that we are not trying to break in order to reach the abductees and receive information. There was a tremendous effort with the first two abductees who were released and with the two abductees who were released through the Egyptian side, we do everything to reach everyone – this goal is always in front of our eyes."
"There is a tremendous intelligence and operational effort that history has not yet seen, all in order to obtain every possible information. We really want to succeed in this and bring all the families back home, safe and sound."
Jackie Levy, uncle of the Calderon family, which has 3 abductees in Gaza, shared: "Two members of our family were murdered in the terrible massacre and another three were kidnapped to Gaza. We have difficulty in our hearts to divide between sadness and worry. We do not experience that the issue is a priority for the state. It took a long time for the state to enter the event, and even then many things were done badly. For 3 weeks, the family lived in the war room, without sleep and without any real help from the state. The country's leaders engage in petty politics, they expect you, Mr. President, to be the responsible adult."
Michal Herzog, the president's wife, meeting with the families, today, photo: Spokesperson's Office of the President's House
At the end, the delegates came out and told about the course of the meeting. Shimon Attias, Amit Bouskyla's uncle: "We feel embrace, warmth and love from the president and his wife. We want to thank them. We expect our requests to be met. The president said every effort was being made to return the abductees and missing persons. We expect all the nations of the world to mobilize to bring the abductees home. We don't judge anyone. It is expected that the State of Israel will act immediately to return all the abductees. This meeting gave us hope."
Inbal Tzach, cousin of Tal Shoham who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri: "They gave us a place to express ourselves. We realized that there was a little cautious optimism tonight. We will fight together as a family until everyone comes home."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog meets with representatives of the families of the abductees and missing at the President's Residence in Jerusalem, Photo: Spokesperson's Office
Galant: "There are two goals: to return the hostages and win the war"
Earlier today, Defense Minister Yoav Galant met with representatives of the families. Also present with him were the head of the ACA, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, the Coordinator of POWs and MIAs, Brig. Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defense Shahar Katz, the Defense Minister's advisor on the subject of responsible, Colonel (res.) Lior Lotan and various professionals in the defense establishment.
The professionals reviewed the efforts being made to locate and clarify the condition of the abductees and missing persons, and to return them. Minister Galant listened to the families' statements, answered their questions, and detailed the actions being taken to return the abductees and locate the missing persons.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant at her meeting with representatives of the families of the abductees and missing persons, today, photo: Ariel Hermony, Ministry of Defense
At the end of the meeting, Galant said that the best people from all the security forces had been assigned to the issue. "You have all seen who Hamas is, we have nothing more important than returning the abductees and eradicating Hamas. Their various publications are a difficult psychological game in the psyche of everyone who is here and of the entire nation of Israel. Hamas makes cynical use of everything that is dear to us, they understand the pain and the pressure."
He added: "I have two goals: to return the hostages and win the war. Everything else - less important at the moment. The ground operation is intertwined with the effort to return the abductees. If Hamas is not pressured militarily, nothing will progress. They want to bring down Israeli society from within, and they use abductees cruelly. The military move is intended, among other things, to increase the chances of returning our people."
"I deal with the subject every day, the abducted and missing in my heart and in my thoughts." Galant strengthens the representatives of the families, photo: Ariel Hermony, Ministry of Defense
"I deal with the issue every day, the abducted and missing in my heart and thoughts, in security discussions and decision-making. We are being conducted against animals, not people, it is a complex journey, with hopes and disappointments, I am determined to win the war, and the return of the hostages is part of the victory."
At the same time as the meetings, 100 people demonstrated today near the president's residence in Jerusalem calling for the release of the abductees held by Hamas. The demonstrators held pictures of the abductees alongside signs that read, "Return abductees to their borders" and sang quietly and painfully.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us