The families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have told the JC they fear their loved ones are less likely to return home, after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
The killing of Hamas's political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, comes as hostage families near the tenth month of separation from their loved ones.
From his base in Qatar, Haniyeh was considered “the key figure” in Hamas leadership overseeing negotiations. While it is too early to predict how his assassination will impact hostage and ceasefire talks, it has sparked worry among some of the hostage families.
Some have suggested that the Haniyeh killing may bring about more flexibility for Israel in negotiations after the state secured an ‘image of victory’ in his death.
But British Israeli Sharon Lifshitz, whose father Oded Lifshitz, 83, is one of the oldest hostages in Gaza, said the assassination does not bring her father any closer: “I don’t know how killing the person who was negotiating can help the negations. It is worrying.
"If you put the hostages as the top priority as they should be, then you have to justify and show us how this [killing of Haniyeh] can lead to the release of hostages.”
Lifshitz told the JC she "would like to see the evidence” that Haniyeh’s death will bring a deal any closer.
“I have no sympathy for Ismail Haniyeh, [but] when you kill someone, the person who comes after him is often worse... I have been told again and again that the killing of the heads [of Hamas] will lead to a better position to do a hostage deal.... The window of opportunity is fast closing.”
Family member of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, Sharon Lifshitz, has spoken about the urgent need for a hostage deal (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement that Israel “must remember that victory is not achievable without the return of the hostages. That is the purpose of the war. That is the most important moral and national goal.”
Alana Zeitchik, whose relative, David Cunio, is a hostage, tweeted that Haniyeh was a “monster of terror who cares only about power”, but she added: “My first reaction to the news of Haniyeh was, what will happen to the hostages? What if they kill some of them now in response? How is David safer now? How does this get us a deal? How does this end the suffering? Who else will be sacrificed in the name of justice?”
Naama Weinberg, cousin of hostage Itai Svirsky, told Israeli media: "It appalls me that once again this government chooses to eliminate the terrorists first before rescuing the hostages. [When] the choice to eliminate the senior officials before rescuing the hostages was made, the order of priorities was determined."
Lifshitz echoed Weinberg’s fears that the Israeli government have not prioritised hostage talks: "It is hard for British Jewish people to understand that the government of Israel might not be putting the hostages as a top priority.”
A ceasefire deal, according to Lifshitz, would be the “first step towards regional security”, which she says should include a “regional security pact with other moderate Suni countries.”
Lifshitz was in Qatar last week for hostage talks with Qatari officials, who she said were “open and clear with us”.
“It was hard to say if there was any progress in the meeting. A deal felt closer then and now it feels like it is further away.
"Now it is Benjamin Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar who must sign the deal into existence, and they might not put hostages as the top priority.”
Lifshitz attended a shiva for a dead hostage on the day of Haniyeh's killing and described the “hope and despair” of the conflict. She has not heard any updates about her elderly father since November, while her mother, Yocheved, was taken captive and released by Hamas after 16 days.
“There is this huge fight around us and we are just trying to scream at people about the importance of our loved ones and they need to come back home. We are desperate for them and our heart is with them every hour.”
A London-based artist and academic, she holds the British government “accountable to the fate of the hostages who are British citizens.”
“I call on the British government to negotiate the release of British hostages and the hostages with British family. We cannot rely on the Israeli government to do the best for the hostages.”
Lifshitz is keeping a close eye on the UK government. “I was concerned that Keir Starmer did not mention the hostages when he called for a ceasefire – I take it to be unintentional and done in good faith – and I put my trust in Keir Starmer to make sure a hostage deal comes forward. Britain has a role to play.”
White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday that it was "too soon to know" how Haniyeh's death would influence talks. "This doesn't mean we are going to stop working on it," he said.
