Hostage Families Condemn Netanyahu’s ‘Resounding Failure,’ Will Boycott Memorial

An Israeli organization advocating for the release of hostages in Gaza is uniting with border communities to boycott a government-planned memorial on October 7. This event aims to mark the one-year anniversary of the devastating Hamas-led assault on Israel.

The Hostages Families Forum criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration for its “resounding failure” to secure the release of the 109 individuals still held captive in Gaza. Several kibbutzim have also opted out of the state-sponsored remembrance, choosing instead to conduct their own private ceremonies.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Hostages Families Forum expressed their intentions, saying, “We will join with border communities and towns on the Gaza border and south to mark the anniversary of the massacre. Our aim is to demand security, the return of the abductees, the restoration of our communities, and an investigation into the failures that led to the tragic events of October 7, 2023,” as translated by the Times of Israel.

Efforts to establish a truce in the ongoing ten-month conflict in Gaza have consistently failed, with only a brief cease-fire and a limited exchange of captives occurring in November.

The Biden administration is advocating for a new plan, which they believe may provide an opportunity for a prolonged truce. Israel has agreed to a “bridging proposal,” but Hamas has rejected it, accusing Netanyahu of altering terms regarding the control of the Gaza-Egypt border.

Recent reports from Reuters indicate that negotiations are stalled due to Israeli stipulations concerning military presence in Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners, which conflict with terms Hamas had previously accepted under a U.S. proposal from May.

Following Netanyahu’s uncertainty about arriving at an agreement, the Hostages Families Forum expressed their frustrations on the X platform. They stated: “The Israeli government abandoned the abductees on October 7 and is now abandoning them for good.”

In other developments, President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu on Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of finalizing the cease-fire and hostage release agreement. The White House reported that they also discussed forthcoming talks in Cairo aimed at resolving remaining obstacles.

Recent Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 16 individuals, including a woman and three children, as reported by the Associated Press. A reporter counted the deceased at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al-Balah.

The heart-wrenching situation of families with hostages was brought to the forefront during the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday evening, when Jon Polin and his wife Rachel Goldberg-Polin from Chicago gave an emotional testimony. Their appeal for the release of their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, resonated throughout the United Center, with the audience rising in support and chanting, “Bring them home!”

Rachel Goldberg-Polin emphasized the urgency of their plight, noting that the hostages, who are believed to number in the hundreds, come from 23 different countries. Among them are eight American citizens, spanning in age from just one year to 86 years old.

Speaking directly to her son, Goldberg-Polin said, “Hersch, if you can hear us, we love you. Stay strong. Survive.”

In this highly charged political climate surrounding the conflict, Jon Polin took a neutral position, stating: “There is a surplus of agony on all sides of the tragic conflict in the Middle East. In a competition of pain, there are no winners.”

Source: USA TODAY