MKs demand release of soldiers’ bodies from Gaza
six years after st.-sgt. oron shaul’s body was taken by hamas after he was killed during operation protective edge in the Gaza strip, mK michal Cotler Wunsh has called for the terror group to be held accountable.
“For six years, discussions of prisoner swaps as the means of retrieving oron shaul, along with his comrade hadar Goldin and Israeli citizens avera mengistu and hisham al-sayed, have been the norm, as if Israel and the international community should accept paradigms dictated by terrorist groups, and release those that have murdered its citizens in order to retrieve what is rightfully theirs,” she told the Knesset plenary on tuesday.
“For six years, the world has for the most part remained silent, issuing statements without any follow up, in spite of the fact that hamas is in overt violation of international laws. exacerbating this is the continued provision of cash and humanitarian aid by foreign governments claiming to uphold these international laws,” she said, adding that “I ask that my colleagues in the Knesset and in parliaments around the world utilize the language of rights to hold hamas to account and demand an end to this culture of impunity.”
on july 20, 2014, shaul entered the shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City in an armored personnel carrier with six other soldiers. the apC was struck by a Kornet anti-tank missile fired by hamas, killing all those inside. shaul’s body was never found. six years on, the Israeli government continues to say that it is working on a prisoner exchange deal which would see the release of shaul’s and Goldin’s bodies as well as hostages mengistu and al-sayed.
marking the sixth anniversary of the military operation at the beginning of the month, prime minister Benjamin netanyahu said that his government would not miss “a window of opportunity” to bring the hostages back from Gaza.
netanyahu, who spoke via video conference, did not meet with the Goldin or shaul families, who had set up protest tents outside the venue.
Following the event, president reuven rivlin, Foreign minister Gabi ashkenazi and defense minister Benny Gantz – who was Chief of staff during the operation – went to speak to the families. Gantz vowed to “do everything in our power and more” to return the soldiers.
simcha Goldin, the father of hadar Goldin, who has been highly critical of netanyahu, replied to Gantz saying that “those are just words. you said that last year and all the preceding years. We are asking for actions, not words.”
at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, it was believed that hamas would be willing to take a step towards reaching an agreement. the Goldin family said that there was a window of opportunity to bring the four home, and “missing this opportunity now would be a national irresponsibility.”
last month, hamas said that a precondition for a prisoner exchange was the release of dozens of palestinian terrorists freed in the 2011 Gilad shalit deal and then rearrested.
an IdF intelligence assessment released in january stated that in contrast to Israel, hamas does not include the return of the two missing Israeli civilians and the remains of the two soldiers as part of any ceasefire arrangement with Israel.