Zvika Mor, father of kidnapped Eitan Mor, made unexpected comments on Israeli public radio Wednesday morning, challenging some common assumptions about hostage rescue efforts in Gaza.
"I don't believe it's possible to get all the hostages out without full control of the territory," Mor said in his Reshet Bet interview. "I'm not talking about settling Gaza, but they need to understand we won't leave until the last hostage returns."
Mor expressed concern about the current military approach, stating that Hamas maintains complete control in Gaza. He criticized the pace of operations, particularly in Jabaliya, suggesting that lower intensity fighting puts IDF soldiers at unnecessary risk.
"When we're the ones distributing food and they truly understand they'll lose territory until the last hostage returns - that will be significant leverage," he added.
Addressing recent criticism that the hostage families' forum has become more aggressive in their stance, Mor rejected claims they've become confrontational. "There's a perception we work for the Prime Minister and suddenly became an aggressive workers' committee. That's incorrect. We work to save the hostages and know how to give credit, but when we don't see movement toward bringing all hostages home at once - we speak up."
Mor concluded with a painful personal note about his son Eitan's captivity: "The reality that Eitan is still in Gaza is a wound that won't heal - the worry for his life, if he's even alive, if he's with other hostages or in terrible solitude, and even if he is, what is he going through there? And always the terrible fear of getting that knock on the door, like our friends recently - the Neutra, Shativi, Yerushalmi, Gat, Seroussi, and Danino families - who were in my situation and suddenly received that knock. This is the shadow we live under."