Israeli finance minister: Returning captives ‘not most important thing’

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich drew fire from the families of captives held in Gaza yesterday after saying that the return of their relatives is not the most important thing for Israel, Anadolu reported.

“The families have no words this morning except shame,” the Hostage Families Forum said in a statement.

The families said that Smotrich’s comments indicate that the Israeli government has “deliberately decided to give up the hostages”.

“Smotrich – history will remember how you closed your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them,” the statement said.

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Israeli estimates suggest that 59 captives remain in Gaza, with 24 believed to be alive. In contrast, over 9,500 Palestinians remain imprisoned in Israel under harsh conditions, many have reported to have been tortured, starved and been subjected to medical neglect, according to both Palestinian and Israeli rights organisations.

Nearly 140,000 Israelis, including military figures, have signed petitions demanding the return of captives from Gaza and an end to the war in the enclave.

More than 51,200 Palestinians have been killed in the brutal Israeli onslaught on Gaza since October 2023, most of them women and children.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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