Published December 6, 2023
CNN) — Leaked audio recordings of a meeting between freed Israeli hostages and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have revealed considerable anger at the government’s conduct, as well as the enduring terror of captivity by Hamas in Gaza.
Audio of the meeting between the former hostages, relatives of some still being held, and Israel’s war cabinet on Tuesday was leaked, with parts of it published on Israeli news site ynet.
It comes amid building pressure on Netanyahu to secure the release of the remaining captives, and scrutiny of Israel’s intensifying military campaign in Gaza.
Ynet also reported that Netanyahu’s efforts to respond to the hostages and relatives were met with tense and angry remarks.
A female abductee freed with her children – but without her husband, who remains in captivity – is heard on one recording saying: “The feeling we had there was that no one was doing anything for us. The fact is that I was in a hiding place that was shelled and we had to be smuggled out and we were wounded. That’s besides the helicopter that shot at us on the way to Gaza.”
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.albanyherald.com
RELATED: Reports: Freed hostages and family members clash with Netanyahu in meeting
Yelena Trufanov, right, speaks next to her mother Irena Tati at a rally calling for the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, December 2, 2023. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Published December 5, 2023
Reports emerging from a meeting of the family members of hostages — including recently freed captives — with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the rest of the war cabinet indicate the gathering is markedly tense and hostile and that some families have left early.
Several Hebrew media reports quote Netanyahu telling the families “there is no possibility right now to bring everyone home. Can anyone really imagine that if that was an option, anyone would refuse it?” — a statement met with anger from many.
Ronen Tzur, one of the heads of the Hostage Families Forum, tells Channel 12 news that some of those present told Netanyahu about the horrors they underwent during their time held captive in Gaza.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.timesofIsrael.com
RELATED: Israeli hostage families angry after meeting with Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds a press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz (not pictured) in the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv ,… Acquire Licensing Rights
Published December 5, 2023
JERUSALEM, Dec 5 (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met families of returned hostages on Tuesday in an encounter that some of those present described as loud and angry.
The meeting came as fighting has resumed in the Gaza Strip following a seven-day pause that saw the return of more than 100 hostages from the enclave. The fate of 138 captives who remained behind is still open.
“I heard stories that broke my heart, I heard about the thirst and hunger, about physical and mental abuse,” Netanyahu said at a news conference. “I heard and you also heard, about sexual assault and cases of brutal rape unlike anything.
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.Reuters.com
