– Here they are taking my mother, says Neta, and shows us a short video clip on her mobile phone. The video was taken by cameras worn by Hamas fighters when they attacked communities on the border with Gaza last weekend. In the clip, we see a Hamas fighter lead an elderly woman with white hair to a waiting car. They then drive off with her. GREAT-GRANDMOTHER: Neta’s mother has both grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is very fond of them, says the daughter. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen – What did you think when you realized that your mum had been taken hostage? – It was both a shock and a relief. It was good to see that she was not injured, and that she was at least alive, says Neta. Hamas picked up the phone We meet the mother of three in Haifa in the north of Israel. She tells of her fear when she heard the news that hundreds of heavily armed Hamas fighters had stormed into Israel from Gaza. Right into the kibbutz where she grew up, and where her mother lived. – We called my mother straight away. I said, “Mommy, did you get into the bomb room?” “Yes,” she replied. But the 84-year-old is still not safe. The elderly lady is taken by Hamas. – The next time my sister called my mother, it was a Hamas fighter who answered the phone, says Neta with horror in her eyes. DRAMATIC: The morning when Hamas attacked was very dramatic for Neta and her family. A Hamas fighter answered the mother’s phone when they called. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen After that she has not received any signs of life from her mother. The video clip from the camera of the Hamas fighters is the only one they have. Now Neta hopes that her mother and the many Israeli hostages will be released as soon as possible. But it’s not that easy. Bad timing and small window – For Hamas, these hostages are worth their weight in gold. They will not release them without further ado, says Gershon Baskin. He is known in Israel as the hostage negotiator who freed Gilad Shalit, the last Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas in Gaza. Shalit was released in 2011, after five years and four months of intense negotiations. FREE: Hamas released Gilad Shalit in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Here is Shalit and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: GPO / Afp At that time, Hamas released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons in exchange for the one soldier. – We don’t have much time this time. We have a tiny window to get women, the elderly and children out before Israel launches the ground invasion, says Baskin. – When that happens, it will be impossible to get the hostages out. – The invasion will come According to the Israeli Defense Forces, at least 203 hostages are being held in the Gaza Strip. Hamas came out yesterday and said that they are willing to release a number of civilian hostages, women and children, in exchange for Israel stopping the bombing of Gaza. Gershon Baskin thinks this is a game for the gallery. – This is psychological warfare. It means nothing. Hamas will not release Israelis without getting Palestinians out of prisons, says the hostage negotiator. HOSTAGE DEALER: Gershon Baskin was central to the effort to secure the release of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held captive in Gaza for over five years. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen Israel has declared that Hamas will be crushed, whatever the cost. But according to Baskin, Hamas and Israel talk together through neighboring countries. – I know that the Qataris, who have good cooperation with both Israel and Hamas, are heavily involved in the hostage negotiations. There is also Turkey, along with the United States. – Will a prisoner exchange be able to prevent an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza? – No. The best we can hope for is a truce of 24-48 hours that allows for an exchange of prisoners. But the invasion will come, says Baskin. Don’t trust Netanyahu Neta sits in Haifa and fears a major war in the Gaza Strip. Over 1,400 people were killed in the brutal terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on 7 October. Since then, at least 3,478 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials. Neta wants revenge against Hamas, but not against everyone who lives in Gaza. – I don’t think it’s humane, it’s not right, she says. – We have gone to war against Gaza several times. Hamas sends rockets at us, we bomb Gaza, but that doesn’t solve anything. AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT: Neta is one of the many Israelis who have demonstrated against the government in recent months. She does not trust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Privat Neta belongs to the left in Israeli politics. She has stood on the barricades for months against the country’s right-wing radical government, and their controversial legal reform. – I do not trust Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. He is only concerned with his position. She hopes the politicians will come to their senses and try to resolve the bloody conflict through political negotiations, not war. Neta’s plea to the parties is very clear: – Get mum out, end the war and start negotiations! Let the Palestinians get a part of the land, let us keep a part, and let us live in peace.
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– Get mom out and end the war! – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
