Wilfried Devillers (special envoy to Israel) // Credits: SEBASTIEN BERGER / AFP
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9:21 a.m., December 3, 2023
Two days after the resumption of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the release of Israeli hostages seems compromised. The Israeli government on Saturday recalled its teams of negotiators present in Qatar, the main mediator in the negotiations between the Jewish state and the terrorist group. An unbearable situation for the relatives of the kidnapped people who testify at the microphone of Europe 1.
Negotiations for a new truce are more deadlocked than ever. The Israeli government on Saturday recalled its teams of negotiators present in Qatar, the main mediator in the negotiations between the Hebrew state and the terrorist group. Two days after the resumption of fighting, the hope of seeing the hostages in the hands of Hamas free is fading. An unbearable situation for the relatives of people detained in Gaza.
Relatives of the hostages in worry
His worried blue eyes say a lot about the torment experienced by Lee Siegel who still hopes that his brother, Keith, 64, will be freed by Hamas. A hope to which Lee clings, despite the resumption of fighting and the failure of negotiations. “When there is violence and conflict, the hostages don’t come back… But there is always hope because it is still possible to go back. They will only be able to come back when there is a ceasefire. This is what we hope for and what must happen,” he told Europe 1. In the midst of the anguish, a small glimmer of joy shines. Lee’s brother’s wife was released last week.
Lee shares the anguish of not seeing his loved ones return from Gaza with Mikhail. The man is also waiting for his brother to return. To try to reassure himself, he asked the recently released hostages if they were with him in captivity. “I obviously inquired. Unfortunately, no one saw it. The end of the ceasefire is an act of psychological torture by Hamas… I think they need to understand that no one will give up as long as that not everyone will have returned home,” says Mikhail. 137 Israeli and foreign hostages are still being held in Gaza.
A rally for the hostages in Tel Aviv
Saturday evening, thousands of people gathered in the center of Tel Aviv, on the Esplanade of the Museum of Arts, for a large mobilization in favor of the hostages. Hadas Kalderon, the mother of Erez and Sahar released this week, spoke. “The father of my children, Ofer Kalderon, is still a prisoner of Hamas. Sahar wants his father, Erez wants his father, our fight is not over. Ofer must return to us! Don’t forget the men!” declared Hadas Kalderon.