First press from the released hostages
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The War Cabinet met up today (Tuesday) in Herzliya with representatives of the families of the hostages and with those who've returned from captivity. The meeting is being held following a demand from the families, after they announced they would consider intensifying their measures if the cabinet doesn't meet with them. The hostages who were released from captivity by Hamas and participated in the meeting: Yarden Roman, Irena Tati, Yelena Trupanov, Raz Ben Ami and Sharon Konio.
One of the hostages who was released told the ministers terrible things about the situation in captivity:
"We didn't even have anyone to ask for water. There were bombs all the time, including ones that fell a few meters from us. We woke up from this, but the terrorists continued sleeping. The released hostage hurled at the ministers: "You are putting their lives at risk every moment you don't go for another deal. Don't turn their families into bereaved families."
Sharon Kunio, who was released with her children, said at the hearing: "I returned on the fourth beat [she means swap]. My feeling is that you have no idea what's going on over there at all.
You claim that there's intelligence, but the fact is that we were shelled. My husband was separated from us 3 days before we were released. My daughters ask where dad is and I have to say that the bad guys don't want to release him. They put politics above returning the hostages. You think the men are strong? It's too hard for them. Return them all. I put elderly women in diapers, I've seen men die next to me. None of us deserve any less treatment than any other Israeli citizen. Don't wait another month or another year."
Aviva Sigal, which was also released, added: "It's a story that you can't imagine, beyond any imagination a human being can bear.
I left my husband Keith there, he isn't healthy, his ribs were broken and he could barely sit or eat. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat there because I couldn't. I was passed through a lot of places. I thought I was going to explode any second. We were sitting and suddenly a closet fell. They didn't think there would be such a shockwave, it fell on us and luckily nothing happened. We ran out of medicine, they gave us incorrect medicine."
Aviva's daughter stated: "I want to say that all the talk about toppling Hamas is a joke in my eyes. My father was humiliated there."
At one point the discussion got heated and shouts of "shame" were heard. The released hostages asked the ministers: "Stop dragging us" and one of the mothers told the ministers that they were "going through a holocaust." A woman who participated in the discussion said that her father is constantly being humiliated. Gili Roman, whose sister Yarden was abducted to Gaza, said at the end of the discussion that "the cabinet came unprepared." Netanyahu replied that he took it to heart and that they "made their voices heard. "
"Our mission is to return all the hostages home," said Gal Hirsh, who's in charge of the hostages and the missing, at the entrance to the meeting. "We're excited to meet those who returned in this forum today. This is a special opportunity for the Cabinet to hear the things that worry the hostages' families. I've been in contact with the family members for many weeks, they're my family through and through."
137 hostages are still being held in the Gaza Strip. The previous meeting of the hostages' families with the War Cabinet was held two weeks ago, and it took place during reports of negotiations for a deal to release the hostages. At that meeting, the families testified that Gallant and Netanyahu told them: "The return of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas - equal goals."