The daughter of one of six Israeli hostages whose bodies were recently recovered from Gaza has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prioritizing political considerations over securing a ceasefire and hostage release deal, according to reporting by the BBC.
Inbal Albini Peri, whose 80-year-old father Haim Peri was among those found dead, told BBC Radio 4's Today program that her father and his friends "should have come back alive" as part of any agreement with Hamas. "I don't believe a word he is saying," Albini Peri said of Netanyahu. "I want him to say to my family and all the other families: 'I'm sorry. I was wrong.'"
The Israeli military recovered the bodies of six hostages, including Haim Peri, from underground tunnels in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Tuesday. The other five were identified as Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell, Alexander Dancyg, Avraham Munder, and Yagev Buchshtab.
Haim Peri is 79 years old. He is a husband, a father and a grandfather.
On October 7th when Hamas terrorist broke into his home, he saved his wife Osnat by hiding her in the safe room.
The entire Peri family needs him back, now.#BringThemHomeNOW pic.twitter.com/dx7BXsq3IZ
— European Jewish Congress (@eurojewcong) March 2, 2024
Albini Peri suggested that Netanyahu's "political priorities" impede progress on a hostage release deal, "And that makes us very, very angry and frustrated." She did not explicitly explain what she meant by this term, but the BBC noted that Netanyahu's far-right coalition allies have threatened to withdraw support if he agrees to release large numbers of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages.
A senior US administration official criticized Netanyahu on Tuesday evening for making "maximalist statements" that were "not constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line." This followed reported comments by Netanyahu suggesting he had told the US secretary of state that Israeli forces must maintain a presence in strategic parts of Gaza, a condition Hamas rejects.
A deal in November saw Hamas release 105 hostages in exchange for a week-long ceasefire and the freeing of about 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Israel says 105 hostages remain in captivity, with 34 presumed dead.
Haim Peri, a film lecturer and peace activist, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 after leaving his saferoom to protect his wife. Hamas released a video in December showing Peri and two other elderly hostages from Nir Oz appealing for their release.
Albini Peri expressed frustration with the Israeli government's approach to negotiations, stating, "I'm not saying that we could really stop the war, but we had to do the negotiations instead of keeping on fighting. We have seen for over 10 months that it's not working. We want our government and our prime minister to go ahead and have a deal, to have something to talk about, instead of risking over and over again our soldiers to bring back bodies. We don't want any more soldiers to be killed."
In response to families' concerns, Netanyahu's office released a statement Tuesday night, saying, "The first thing is to eliminate Hamas and achieve victory." He said efforts were being made to "allow for the maximum number of hostages being released in the first stage of the deal."
The prime minister also emphasized the need to "preserve our strategic security assets in the face of major domestic and foreign pressure," indicating the complex challenges facing the Israeli government in its pursuit of both military objectives and hostage recovery.
