Netanyahu says he is ‘listening’ to hostages’ families after tense conversation with father leaked

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Danino accuses the prime minister of worrying more about his political survival than the future of the country

September 9 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he is “listening” to the relatives of hostages kidnapped by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) after a tense conversation with the father of a hostage who died in the Gaza Strip was leaked to the press.

“My wife and I have attended heart-wrenching meetings that simply break our hearts,” Netanyahu said, adding that he “listens” to the families without judging and that he will do “everything possible to return the hostages” home.

His remarks came after a recording was broadcast in Israeli media of a meeting between the prime minister and Orthodox Rabbi Elhanan Danino, the father of Uri Danino, a hostage who died in captivity in the Gaza Strip.

In the conversation, the rabbi accuses Netanyahu of having “equipped” Hamas “with tunnels and dollars.” “It all happened while you were in office. My son was killed in a tunnel that you built under your command,” he says.

Danino also criticised the prime minister for being more concerned about his political survival than the future of the country. “Stop worrying about winning seats, about polls. Enough,” he said, according to The Times of Israel.

The tense exchange came as Netanyahu called the family of Uri Danino, whose body was returned to Israel after Israeli forces found it in a Rafah tunnel along with the remains of five other hostages, including an Israeli-American citizen.

Uri Danino, 25, was kidnapped on October 7 by Palestinian militants during the Supernova electronic music festival. He initially fled the scene, but later returned to help several attendees escape.