Elhanan Danino, the father of Ori Danino who was killed alongside five other hostages in Hamas tunnels, spoke with Sivan Cohen on 103FM and strongly criticized the government.
"Anyone who saw the prime minister this week standing at the Knesset podium after returning from the United States could see the renewed energy he brought back—to push forward his own agenda. He remains fixated on holding onto power, winning elections, and staying ahead in the polls. His heart does not waver." Danino said.
According to him, "The only person who treated this hostage deal as a business transaction and got it done was [former] president [Donald] Trump. It happened solely because of him—I know that for a fact. Even yesterday, I spent hours in the Knesset, and you can see the coalition members, the party representatives, standing firm in their positions. They live in a different reality. They have no understanding of what it means to be the father of a hostage, the sibling of a hostage."
"I spoke with [Finance Minister] Bezalel Smotrich multiple times," he added. "I spoke to him [in a] heart-to-heart and told him, ‘As a man of Torah—not as a minister, not as a Knesset member—what you hate being done to you, do not do to others.’ I told him, ‘I am the father of a hostage. Every word you say crushes the families. Please, stop.’ Maybe it made a difference for two or three months, but then he went back to his old ways. But he will be held accountable in the heavens. He has someone pressing him from the Right, and now he has to fight to pass the electoral threshold—before he even worries about defeating [National Security Minister] Itamar Ben-Gvir."
Danino responds to criticism
Later, Danino was asked about the harsh criticism directed at Einav Zangauker, the mother of hostage Matan Zangauker. Outraged, he responded:
"Let someone else stand in our shoes, as parents of hostages, as siblings of hostages—let them try. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Don’t judge someone until you’ve been in their place.
"People, shut your mouths before passing judgment on Einav, before judging anyone. I don’t support every protest blocking roads, but were you parents of hostages before you spoke against her? Wake up! There are families whose children have been in Hamas tunnels for 500 days. ‘Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor.’ Where is our responsibility as a people? Look at how they returned," he said.
"Did you see their bodies? What I hear from their families is horrifying. I don’t even want to put it into words. Go, look for yourselves—look at Or Levy, Ohad Ben Ami, Eli Sharabi. Look at their bodies. Listen to their families describe the condition they were in when they returned, and you will understand. These images are hauntingly familiar—remnants of what happened 80 years ago. And yet, you leave them in the tunnels? Until when?" he demanded.
As the conversation drew to a close, he spoke about what he sees as a critical missed opportunity:
"On April 28, I received the proposed outline from [US President Joe] Biden’s team. The ones who refused to sign it then—leading to 29 more hostages being killed—are capable of anything. The deal Trump pushed them to sign was the exact same deal Biden proposed. The same outline, yet we ended up paying a higher price and receiving fewer hostages in return. This isn’t speculation—this is information I received directly from the American side. And the defense minister approved it."