Hostages’ Families Demand: Hamas Must Present List of Living Hostages Prior to Any Deal
The Tikva Forum for hostages’ families responded Saturday night, June 1, to a US proposal for a ceasefire-prisoner swap deal.
“In order to ensure the welfare of our children, we demand that Hamas present Israel with a list, in a detailed fashion, of which hostages are alive, and a list of corpses which it is holding. It is unthinkable that we should approach a deal that has far-reaching effects without knowing what or who we are receiving,” the Forum said.
The Tikva Forum added: “In addition, we turn to the US and all of the mediators who are in the picture: Throughout the entire period of the deal, the hostages must be held by a third party, and treated by the Red Cross. Without these two conditions, it will be very hard to carry out a complex deal such as this. Therefore, we call on all of those involved: Show responsibility towards the hostages.”
On Friday, Hamas released a video clip showing hostage Noa Argamani. Argamani, a civilian woman, was one of those included in the November 2023 hostage deal, and should have been released as part of that deal.
However, Hamas violated the deal, refusing to return Argamani, 14 other civilian women, and two children, all of whom are still held captive in Gaza, in violation of international law. (INN / VFI News)
“God, we pray for all the hostages who are still not released and are being held by Hamas in terrifying and life-endangering conditions. We pray for their health and we trust that You give them strength and courage during this trying time. We pray in Yeshua’s name for their immediate release and we urge the international community to regard this as a priority and put pressure on the terrorist organization towards the unconditional release of all remaining hostages.”