National Missions Minister Orit Strock stated that winning the war is more important than bringing back every hostage during an interview with Amit Segal at Arutz Sheva's Jerusalem conference on Monday.
“The truth is that in your eyes, winning the war—I'm not saying this judgmentally—is more important than bringing back the last hostage,” Segal told Strock in the interview.
“I agree, winning the war is more important,” Strock confirmed, adding that this had been the Israeli consensus for a decade.
“Apparently, Minister Strock forgot that in Judaism, human life comes first!” Yesh Atid MK Yasmin Sax Fridman wrote on X/Twitter in response to the interview.
“Anyone who waves flags of Jewish values but ignores the commandments of Pikuach Nefesh [Jewish law of prioritizing saving lives] needs to do an urgent home inspection. Shame on you," he added.
השרה סטרוק: הניצחון במלחמה - חשוב יותר מהחזרת החטופים | צפוhttps://t.co/yJXetK5KAy | @amit_segal pic.twitter.com/Ib7d1ohVgm
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) February 24, 2025
Hostage Families Forum statement
The Hostage Families Forum released a statement that the government’s two official goals for the war are eliminating Hamas and returning all the hostages.
“Victory in the war will be when our brothers and sisters are with us and by our side. Bringing everyone back, winning the war,” The Forum wrote.