Shas chief Deri calls on Netanyahu to continue with 2nd phase of hostage deal
Shas Chairman Arye Deri called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move to the second phase of the deal with Hamas to ensure that every hostage returns to Israel on Monday at a faction meeting on the approval of the law to commemorate the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, co-founder of Shas.
“On the one hand, we want to dismantle Hamas and strip it of its military and governmental capabilities, but on the other hand, the hostages are always in front of our eyes,” he stated.
Deri highlighted that in the first deal, close to 100 hostages were brought home, although he said, “not everyone agreed with us.”
“I understand the concerns—this is a very difficult deal with significant costs—but we are obligated to save lives,” Deri added.
“We are making a great effort to bring back the last of the hostages. We do not act with declarations or threats. We do not threaten anyone! We are obligated to this and will do everything in our power to bring back the last of the hostages, both those alive and those who are not,” Deri stated.
However, regarding how this will actually be done, he said, “I don’t ask questions. We know what we need to do. Even those who didn’t believe it would happen see that it is happening, and with God’s help, it will continue to happen.”
Construction and Housing Minister (UTJ) Yitzhak Goldknopf said at the National Economy Conference of the National Federation, according to N12, “Netanyahu, we are behind you, and we are with you. We do not know what is good or not good. For any deal you pursue, we are with you. We must work toward the release of all the hostages, down to the very last one. We pray that all the hostages will return home safely.”
Religious Zionism vs haredi ministers
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni echoed the urgency of returning the hostages held in Gaza in a Tuesday post on X/Twitter, in response to Religious Zionist Party director-general Yehoda Vald, who condemned the haredi support for the hostage deal. “This is our position; this is the directive of the great Torah sages. We stand firmly behind it, and it has nothing to do with all these fabricated claims that it is connected to other matters,” Gafni said.
Vald had earlier commented, “Where is the audacity?! To leave a note and walk away, to call for a ceasefire, knowing that Hamas will remain and grow stronger. After all, we are the ones who will fight and die before and after the next massacre. Not them.”
He added that they were only supporting the hostage-ceasefire deal to “get applause from the left” and to “signal to them not to insist on a meaningful draft law.”
During the general cabinet meeting, which carried on into Shabbat, in which cabinet members voted in favor or against the hostage-ceasefire deal, haredi ministers left notes outlining their positions, primarily citing biblical principles in their decision to support the deal.
Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli (Shas) wrote on his ballot: “Whoever saves one soul in Israel is as if he saved an entire world.”
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