Father of Israeli-American hostage says negotiating with Hamas is “dealing with the devil” but Netanyahu’s idea of ​​total victory is “not realistic”

After the Israeli army Bodies of six hostages recovered The father of an Israeli-American held hostage by Hamas in Gaza for nearly a year reiterated his call for an end to the case. Ceasefire talks Those who have stopped.

Jonathan Dekel-Chen said Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that he believes the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is pursuing the ongoing war and ceasefire talks with personal political interests in mind, rather than the release of the remaining hostages. His comments echoed the views of many Israelis who have criticized Netanyahu and his Cabinet while fighting continues, though Dekel-Chen acknowledged the challenges inherent in the negotiations and compared the task of dictating terms with Hamas to “dealing with the devil.”

“Because we’re dealing with the devil, I mean, this is kind of the launching point for any discussion, Israelis at large, and myself included, have been very critical of the Israeli government for not negotiating in good faith for many, many months,” he said. “There’s no explanation, no reasonable explanation, for why our government is refusing to engage deeply in these negotiations and to finish them, when our entire senior military establishment and intelligence community has been saying publicly and openly for many, many weeks and months that it’s time to end the fighting in Gaza, bring our hostages home and bring as many people home alive as possible.”

The Israel Defense Forces said on Sunday morning that the bodies of six hostages had been found in Gaza, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Eight American citizens are still believed to be hostages, including Dekel-Chen’s son Sagui. Sagui is the father of three daughters, one of whom was born while he was in captivity.

“The only thing we know for sure about Sagui is that by the end of November and the beginning of December we knew he was alive, injured, but alive,” Dekel-Chen said Sunday.

When Hamas militants launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,000 people, they kidnapped 250 hostages and took them to the Gaza Strip, where many were held under an Israeli military siege. About 100 hostages, mostly women and children, were returned under a week-long ceasefire deal in November. The deal also saw a pause in bombing and the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Only a small number of hostages have been released since then. Before the army announced the latest discovery of bodies, Israel had said it believed 101 hostages remained in Gaza and that about a third of them had died. Six other hostages Israeli troops rescued eight people in southern Gaza last month. The most recent information was received on Tuesday,

Several Palestinians have been killed in previous operations by the Israeli military to free the hostages. Hamas has said some hostages were killed in Israeli air strikes and botched rescue attempts, while the IDF said its troops mistakenly killed three Israelis who had escaped from captivity several months after the war. After the bodies of six people held hostage by Hamas were found, a forum of hostage families called for a mass protest on Sunday – “bringing the country to a complete standstill” – demanding a ceasefire and the release of the hostages.

Despite their calls, Netanyahu has continued to pursue a war effort, which he says is aimed at completely eliminating Hamas.

“I think the vast majority of Israelis are now convinced that by his actions, not his words, but his deeds, he is primarily motivated by a desire to maintain power with a narrow, very radical messianic coalition in the Israeli government,” Dekel-Chen said of Netanyahu on Sunday. “And he has made choices to pursue this fantasy of total victory over Hamas, a terrorist organization, and there’s no doubt about that, but this idea of ​​total victory is the messianic idea of ​​his coalition partners, and not a realistic one. And he has prioritized that over the well-being of all the hostages, at least to date.”

Hamas has offered to release the hostages in exchange for an end to the war. The Hamas-run Palestinian health ministry has said more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of more Palestinian prisoners, some of whom are known militants.

Netanyahu reiterated on Saturday that Hamas had obstructed ceasefire talks, saying “anyone who kills hostages does not want a settlement” and vowed to hold Hamas accountable for the “cold murder.”