Families of fallen soldiers tell Kushner and Witkoff: Don’t push Israel to free 200 Rafah terrorists

They stressed that their loved ones fell while defending Israeli civilians, and that “those responsible for the atrocities of the massacre” must not be allowed to return to armed activity.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A delegation of bereaved families from the HaGevura Forum appealed Monday to senior US envoys visiting Israel, warning that any proposal enabling Hamas operatives trapped in the Rafah tunnel network to leave safely would endanger Israelis and undermine broader Western security interests.

The message was delivered in a letter addressed to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who arrived in Israel for consultations linked to President Donald Trump’s regional initiatives.

The families wrote that their concern stems from reports suggesting Washington may press Israel to release the roughly 150–200 Hamas operatives captured or cornered in Rafah during the war.

In their view, any arrangement granting the group freedom of movement would pave the way for renewed violence. They stressed that their loved ones fell while defending Israeli civilians, and that “those responsible for the atrocities of the massacre” must not be allowed to return to armed activity.

In the letter, the forum described itself as representing “hundreds of families of heroes who fought to restore security to the citizens of Israel and fell during the war.”

They noted that the operatives now confined in Rafah had taken part in attacks that killed civilians, raped women, and murdered children on October 7. According to the families, the same group continued to harm hostages and target soldiers even after the initial assault. “The sentence for these terrorists is one: death,” the letter stated, arguing that any international pressure to shield them would “cause immediate harm to Israel and every Western nation.”

The forum also accused Hamas of repeatedly violating the ceasefire arrangements. They said the group has withheld some of the bodies of abducted Israelis, continued attacking IDF units, and made ongoing efforts to carry out additional assaults. The letter emphasized that Hamas “has not adhered for a single minute to the agreements signed with it,” claiming the organization refuses to disarm while working to entrench its rule in Gaza.

The families urged the American envoys to stand firmly behind Israel’s counterterrorism objectives.

They called on the United States not to “be the lifeline for these terrorists,” appealing instead for support in completing the campaign against Hamas. Their letter concluded with a plea for backing Israel “in eradicating Hamas, cutting off terrorism, and removing this evil from the world.”