Israel finance minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday said securing the return of the hostages was “not the most important thing” for Israel and urged Israelis to worry about destroying Hamas.
“No. It’s not the most important thing,” Smotrich said during an interview with the Kan public broadcaster, when asked if he felt that bringing back the 134 captives who are being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since the October 7 attacks was the most important goal.
He then attacked the families of those held for demanding that the hostages be brought back for any price.
“Why make it a competition? Why is it so important at the moment? We need to destroy Hamas. That is very important. At any price’ is a problem. We have to return the hostages and we have to put pressure on Hamas,” Smotrich asked.
After the interview was released the family members of the hostages were furious. Members of the hostage families holding a vigil outside the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv moved their protest to block several main roads.
They urged the general public to join the “protest of fury” against the government and threatened to “set the streets on fire”.
“Mr. Smotrich, let them take your children and I will stand in the road and shout, ‘It’s not the most important thing,” Eli Albag, whose 18-year-old daughter Liri is still being held by Hamas, was quoted as saying by the The Times of Israel.
“I say to the people of Israel, whoever thinks the hostages are not important, let them take your children hostage, then you can speak. Because we have been suffering for 137 days, every day, every minute. We don’t sleep at night,” he further added.
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