Father of Israeli-American hostage says talks with Hamas are “dealing with Satan” but Netanyahu’s idea of ​​total victory “unrealistic”

After the Israeli military recovered the bodies of the six hostages who has been held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for almost a year, the father of an Israeli-American still in captivity, reiterated his call for a conclusion truce talks which has ceased.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen said on Sunday in “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that he believes that the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is pursuing the ongoing war and negotiating a cease-fire for personal political interests, rather than working towards it. the freedom of the remaining hostages. These comments echo the views of many Israelis who have criticized Netanyahu and his cabinet as the war has continued, although Dekel-Chen acknowledged the challenges involved in negotiations and likened the task of reaching terms with Hamas to “dealing with the Devil.”

“Because we are dealing with Satan, I mean, this is the starting point for any discussion, most Israelis, including myself, have been very critical of the Israeli government for not negotiating in good faith now, for many, many months,” he said. “There is no explanation, no reasonable explanation why our government refuses to enter into these negotiations and resolve them, when the entire senior military establishment and the intelligence community have been saying publicly and openly for weeks and months that the time has come to end the war in Gaza, asking our hostages go home, as many as can live.”

The Israel Defense Forces said early Sunday that the bodies of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, were found in Gaza. There are still eight Americans believed to be hostages, including Dekel-Chen’s son, Sagui. Sagui is the father of three daughters, including one born while he was in captivity.

“The only thing we know about Sagui is that, at the end of November, the beginning of December, we knew that he was alive, wounded, but alive,” Dekel-Chen said on Sunday.

When Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,000, they also kidnapped 250 hostages and took them to the Gaza Strip, where many were held during the ongoing Israeli military siege. About 100 hostages, mainly women and children, were returned as part of a ceasefire agreement in November that also saw a pause in shelling and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Some of the hostages have since been released. Before the military announced the latest discovery of bodies, Israel said 101 hostages remained in Gaza and about a third were dead. Body from six other hostages they were recovered by Israeli forces last month in southern Gaza. Eight have been rescued by Israeli forces, with most recently found on Tuesday.

Previous operations by the Israeli military to free hostages held there have left dozens of Palestinians dead. Hamas said several hostages were killed in Israeli airstrikes and failed to rescue them, while the IDF said its forces mistakenly killed three Israelis who escaped captivity months after the battle. Following the discovery of six bodies held hostage by Hamas, a hostage family forum called for mass protests on Sunday – a “complete shutdown of the state” – to demand a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. .

Despite the call, Netanyahu is pushing ahead with the war effort, which he says aims to eliminate Hamas entirely.

“I think the majority of Israelis now believe, by their actions, not by their words, but by their actions, that they are motivated mainly by the desire to retain power with a narrow and radical messianic coalition in the Israeli government,” Dekel-Chen said Sunday about Netanyahu. “And they have made the choice to achieve the fantasy of total victory against Hamas, a terrorist organization, and there is no doubt, but this idea of ​​total victory is messianic from the coalition partners, and unrealistic. And they prefer, at least. so far, to welfare all hostages.”

Hamas has offered to release the hostages in exchange for an end to the fighting, in which the Hamas-run Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 40,000 Palestinians have died, as well as withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza and freeing more. Palestinian prisoners, some of whom are known militants.

Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that Hamas has stalled the ceasefire talks, saying “whoever kills the hostages does not want a deal” and vowing to hold Hamas responsible for killing prisoners in “cold blood.”