 "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his wife Sara Netanyahu. File Image/Reuters")
There seems to be no consensus between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, on the actual number of hostages who are alive in Gaza. Panic ensued among hostage families after Sara was overheard saying that there are “fewer” than 24 alive hostages remaining.
On Monday, Netanyahu addressed a meeting with Israeli holiday torchbearers where he said, “We have of course an important task, not only to win but also to bring home (the hostages). “Until today we have returned 196 of our hostages, 147 of whom were alive. There are… up to 24 living. Up to 24 living.”
In the same line of the sentence, Sara was heard saying “fewer” as she interrupted her husband, who was sitting beside her. Netanyahu quickly responded, “I say up to. And the rest are, I’m sorry to say, not alive. And we will return them.”
‘We demand to know’
Sara’s purported gaffe has caused anger among hostage families who were present at the event.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, in a statement, said, “On the eve of Memorial Day, you sowed indescribable panic in the hearts of the families of the hostages – families already living in agonising uncertainty.”
“If there is intelligence or new information regarding the condition of our loved ones, we demand full disclosure,” it added, demanding answers from Netanyahu on why his wife has sensitive information about the hostages and not them.
“If the wife of the prime minister has new information about the kidnapped who were killed, I demand from her to know if my Matan is still alive, or if he was murdered in captivity because your husband refuses to finish the war,” Einav Zangauker, the mother of one of the hostages said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHow many hostages are left?
There are still 59 hostages being held in Gaza, and in recent weeks, Israel has stated that it believes up to 24 of them are alive. However, the limited nature of the recent exchange suggests the Israeli government may have reason to believe that some of those 24 hostages are no longer alive.