Relatives of Hamas hostages ask Spanish government to intercede for their release

A total of five relatives of the Israelis kidnapped by the terrorist group Hamas, in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, arrived in Madrid to talk about how they experienced the surprise attack perpetrated on 7 October by the Islamist group Hamas, and to demand their release.  

These relatives have met in recent days with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and the first vice-president of the acting government, Nadia Calviño, to "implore them" to act as interlocutors with the terrorist organisation Hamas ("who are measuring the times and we are arriving late"), through the Egyptian and Qatari authorities, and to intercede for the release of the 224 hostages in the Gaza Strip. 

"I call on Spain and the democratic community in general not to keep quiet". "We implore Spain and the rest of the world to free our relatives", Naama Weinberg (the organisation is keeping her cousin, 38-year-old Itai Svirsky, alive, although Itai's parents were killed), began her speech, sobbing.  

When asked by this correspondent what Israel expects from Spain in the resolution of this highly complex conflict, and in the knowledge that the European country holds the rotating Presidency of the EU Council, she replied: "We are not politicians or military personnel to know how an incursion by the Israeli army on the ground should be carried out, without affecting the safety of the hostages". "I just want to embrace my people and hope that there will be no more deaths on one side or the other," Naama Weinberg responded to the applause of this journalist. 

In the Synagogue of the Spanish capital, under heavy security, an Israeli delegation made up of relatives of the kidnapped (Merav Mor Raviv; Maayan Sigal-Koren; Yulie Ben-Ami; Roberto César Padrón Meyer and Naama Weinberg), shared first-hand testimonies in which they recounted the executions in cold blood of the members of their families who lived in the kibbutz on that fateful night of 7 October.  

The stories shared with the national and foreign press at Jewish community headquarters were chilling, highlighting that Hamas was the initiator of this war that affects the whole world, not just Israel. 

The Israeli ambassador, Rodica Radian-Gordon, addressed a few words of welcome to the twenty or so media gathered to express her satisfaction ("but not joy, because that is not the word that would define this situation") at having brought a group of Israelis who have arrived in Madrid to meet with members of the Spanish government and civil society organisations, with the idea of making an appeal at international level to "concentrate efforts and return the hostages to their homes", the diplomat assured. 

As Naama Weinberg has informed this correspondent, the Israeli delegation has asked the government of the acting president, Pedro Sánchez, to mediate with Egypt and Qatar, countries that are in dialogue with Hamas, in order to free a total of 224 hostages. The availability of the head of Spanish diplomacy has been total in the request for the unconditional release of those held in the Gaza Strip. 

In the words of Maayan Sigal-Koveb, whose parents are being held, many of the members of this community were peaceful activists who were responsible for transferring sick Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to hospitals in Tel Aviv. Official figures released by the delegation show that some 1,000 Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 citizens, held 224 citizens hostage, and launched more than 800 Hamas rockets at the civilian population, "unprecedented in history since the Holocaust massacre and the world must know about it; do not close your eyes, do not look the other way", said Maayan Sigal-Koveb. 

Maayan Sigal-Koveb also wanted to put the spotlight on the demonstrators gathering in Madrid in support of the Palestinian cause, "who are not aware", he said, "of the inhuman cruelties that can be seen in the videos that Hamas has disseminated on social networks". "I wonder what they would do if they were in my place," said Sigal-Koveb. 

As reported by Israeli journalists in Jerusalem and accessed by this reporter, the 7 October massacre in Israel showed how Hamas has strengthened its tactical and strategic terrorist capabilities through tunnels in the Gaza Strip, with this hiding place being the key to the success of Hamas's extremely precise "surgical operation".  

The concern of the families of the 224 hostages of 40 different nationalities is therefore growing, hence the international pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to slow down, as far as possible, the large-scale entry into Gaza and turn what is now a conventional war into urban warfare with the participation of non-state actors, which is difficult to control and endangers the integrity of the hostages. According to Hamas, a total of 50 prisoners have been hit by Israeli bombardment, something that, for the moment, is in doubt, according to the same journalists consulted in Jerusalem. 

Carmen Chamorro García, CIP and ACPE director, graduate in International Relations and Global Terrorism from the SEI.