Israeli Minister Amichai Eliyahu : "They're Prisoners of War, Not Hostages"
Minister says focus on captives should wait until after the war, drawing sharp political backlash
Twitter
Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu has ignited fresh controversy with remarks minimizing the priority of returning Israeli captives held by Hamas, stating on Wednesday morning that they should be treated as "prisoners of war, not hostages," and that their release should only be addressed "after the war."
Speaking in a radio interview with Kol Hai, Eliyahu said: "The army is confused. We could have achieved a decisive victory earlier. There is international pressure and internal pressure within Israel. Many Israelis put the captives above victory - I think that’s a mistake. I heard the father of a captive say they should be considered prisoners of war. You deal with POWs at the end of a war. We must safeguard them, but our priority must be victory. The lack of decisive action is why they're still there."
"When you define them as hostages, the mission becomes 'hostages first.' But if you redefine the priority as immediate victory, then they are prisoners of war - you do everything to bring them home, but you defeat the enemy first," Eliyahu explained.
His comments come on the heels of previous incendiary statements, including saying that "Gaza is being erased" and that "all of Gaza should be Jewish." Just last week, he said in an interview, "Thank God we are erasing this evil. The entire Gaza Strip will be Jewish." He also criticized humanitarian aid to Gaza: "We shouldn’t be dealing with hunger in the Strip. We’ve gone completely insane."
In response to Eliyahu's latest remarks, protest leader Keren Bressler condemned the minister, writing: "Listen to Amichai Eliyahu. Read what Mrs. Zini [wife of the incoming Shin Bet chief] said. Listen to Struk, Smotrich, and the rest - they reflect the entire Israeli government's policy. It's a fanatical, extreme madness that scorns everything we believe in."
Eliyahu's remarks continue to stoke division within the Israeli political landscape as the debate over the war's priorities - and the fate of the captives - intensifies.