Israeli hostages families important meeting with Netanyahu

Perturbed families of Israeli hostages who are under Hamas captivity since October 7th, 2023 met Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday and urged him for the immediate release of their loved ones.

“We heard from the Prime Minister that the time has ripened for a hostage release deal. We urged him to act now for the release of all hostages – both living and deceased. We reiterated that all cases are humanitarian”, said the relatives in a press statement post meeting.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that the hostages will only return through a negotiated deal, and that he is willing to accept a ceasefire to advance the return of hostages. What worked in the north will work in the south. He indicated there are reasons for optimism. We called on him not to miss opportunities as may have happened in the past. The Prime Minister promised that coalition considerations would not influence the hostage return issue, stating: ‘Coalition considerations are nonsense’, said the statement.

The Prime Minister mentioned several possible frameworks, though it wasn’t made clear to us which framework is currently being pursued. Regarding the deceased, the Prime Minister promised that the return of bodies would be incorporated into different stages of the agreement, without compromising the return of living hostages.

Concluding their statement families said; “We understand from the Prime Minister that he recognizes significant progress in the ability to reach a deal. We requested regular meetings with the Prime Minister between developments. We hope to hear of progress in the coming days.”