Danny Elgarat, whose brother Itzik Elgarat is on the list of 33 Israeli captives slated for release as part of the ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday that having learned his brother is no longer alive, it would be better to give the slot for a living hostage.
“I’m prepared to concede the place of my brother to bring a living person in his place. Bring them back from the inferno,” he told the committee.
Eight of the 33 hostages intended for release in this first phase of the deal are dead, according to a list provided by Hamas on Sunday.
Elgarat insisted that the dead Israelis be replaced by living ones.
“We must first bring in the living, abandoned people, who it’s possible to still give a chance to build a new life,” he said. “Of course, you don’t give up on the dead. It is imperative to bring them all back as soon as possible.”
“The war is over, and the images of people returning to their homes in Gaza are of the end of the war. Every war ends with pictures of people returning home and the state will no longer attack there, and because of a terminology that keeps people in power, we don’t admit it,” he said.
Elgarat reserved harsh words for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the leader has achieved his war goals, which were all about preserving his hold on power.
He blamed the government for the death of his brother, who was 68 when taken from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, and that of other hostages by not agreeing to a deal with Hamas sooner.
“In the December deal, he was alive, and they left him there. All the adults who were in that group died. A large part of the women died. In the May deal, he was on the list again and was alive,” said Elgarat.
He said his brother “was sacrificed on the altar of the Philadelphi Corridor,” referring to Netanyahu’s refusal to abandon the border between Gaza and Egypt, which had served as a major supply route for the terror group.
