'I will be your worst nightmare,' captive's mom warns Netanyahu

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
14 Dec 2024 23:12
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Einav Zangauker, the mother of captive Matan Zangauker, accuses the Israeli PM of "planning to bring only a few [captives] home and kill the rest with military pressure."

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Demonstrators raise placards and Israeli flags during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israelis held captive since October 2023 in the Gaza Strip, in front of the Israeli Security Ministry in Tel Aviv on December 14, 2024 (AFP)

Approximately 2,000 settlers gathered outside the Israeli military's headquarters on Tel Aviv’s Begin Road to protest the government and demand a deal to retrieve captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip, as the Hostages and Missing Families Forum held its weekly rally a block away.

At the entrance to the Israeli military base, Einav Zangauker, the mother of captive Matan Zangauker, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately obstructing negotiations, warning that she will become his “worst nightmare” if he fails to secure her son’s safe return.

“I know from talks with officials in the negotiations that you have no intent to being back Matan, that you lied to me,” she said. “That you have no intent to end the war in return for a comprehensive deal.”

Zangauker accused Netanyahu of "planning to bring only a few home and kill the rest with military pressure."

"I’m not threatening, I’m letting you know: you will have no forgiveness, no clemency," she continued. "I, personally, will chase you if my Matan comes home in a body bag. I will be your worst nightmare."

She added, "[Police Minister Itamar] Ben Gvir and [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich have made you into a rag, but I know how to handle rags like you."

Captives' families demand return of all captives simultaneously

In the same context, hundreds of settlers gathered at the Hostages Square amid recent signs that the Israeli government may finalize a deal to release “humanitarian” captives—primarily the elderly, sick, and women.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum insisted that any agreement must ensure the return of all captives simultaneously.

Former captive Sharon Alony Cunio, whose husband David Cunio remains in Gaza, stressed that the Israeli government "must not aim for a partial deal — a deal that sentences those left behind to death."

Itzik Horn, the father of captives Yair and Eitan, criticized ministers opposing a captive agreement as a “surrender deal”, declaring, “Anything that doesn’t bring them home now is a surrender."

During the rally, a stage set up by a group registering volunteers for future non-violent civil disobedience hosted a speaker who explained that those signing up would be prepared to disrupt traffic, potentially for days, at a moment’s notice.

He predicted that such action would likely occur if the government removed Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara or Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar.

Abu Obeida: IOF bombed captives repeatedly to ensure they were killed

Earlier on Saturday, Abu Obeida, the military spokesperson for the al-Qassam Brigades, accused the Israeli military of deliberately and repeatedly targeting a location where Israeli captives were being held.

In a post on Telegram, he said, "The occupation army recently targeted a location where some enemy captives were held, bombing it multiple times to ensure that they were killed," stressing that the Resistance group has "intelligence confirming that the enemy deliberately targeted the location with the intent to kill the captives and their guards."

According to the spokesperson, the al-Qassam Brigades freedom fighters launched a search and rescue operation to attempt to retrieve survivors, However, only one captive was successfully retrieved, but his "fate remains unknown."

A few moments after Abu Obeida's post, the al-Qassam Brigades released a video captioned "Netanyahu and Halevi are seeking to get rid of their captives in Gaza by all means."

#WATCH | Al-Qassam Brigades publishes a video captioned "Netanyahu and Halevi are seeking to get rid of their captives in Gaza by all means." pic.twitter.com/Gp2cAyCoXU
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 14, 2024

The footage shows a captive, with blood on their body, struggling to move amid the rubble most probably caused by the bombing Abu Obeida mentioned in his post.

Al-Qassam Brigades announces death of Israeli captive

Late last month, the al-Qassam Brigades announced the death of an Israeli captive held in northern Gaza.

Abu Obeida confirmed the captive's death by Israeli bombardment and issued a stern warning to the Israeli leadership regarding the fate of other captives amid the relentless aggression.

"The enemy must prepare to face the dilemma of the disappearance of the dead prisoners' bodies," Abu Obeida stated, attributing the incident to the extensive destruction caused by Israeli aggression and the martyrdom of Palestinian captors.

He further revealed that communication had recently been reestablished with the al-Qassam fighters assigned to protect the captives, revealing that one female captive was killed in an area under heavy Zionist aggression while another captive remains in imminent danger.

"After the restoration of the communication that had been cut off for weeks with the fighters tasked with guarding the enemy's prisoners, it turned out that one of the enemy's female prisoners was killed in an area that is under a Zionist aggression in the northern Gaza Strip, while the danger still threatens the life of another (female) prisoner who was with her," Abu Obeida said at the time.