Knesset honors bereaved hostage families who supported government during Gaza war

Government ministers paid tribute to members of the Tikva and Gvura forums, groups that consistently opposed negotiated exchanges with Hamas that would have freed Palestinian security prisoners in return for phased hostage releases.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

On Monday, Israel’s Knesset held a ceremony that honored only those bereaved and hostage families who backed the government’s war strategy, while excluding relatives who had demonstrated throughout the conflict for broader hostage-release deals, Times of Israel reports.

The gathering, initiated by Religious Zionism MK Ohad Tal, drew sharp reactions from families left off the invitation list and from the larger Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

At the event, government ministers paid tribute to members of the Tikva and Gvura forums, groups that consistently opposed negotiated exchanges with Hamas that would have freed Palestinian security prisoners in return for phased hostage releases.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by video, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised the two forums, arguing that they represented resilience during what he called the “War of Revival.”

Smotrich later told Haaretz that the honorees “stood against voices calling for defeat and surrender, who weakened the nation and strengthened – despite the best of intentions – Hamas.” He claimed those views extended the plight of the hostages.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a blistering response, saying “the decisive majority of the hostage families were intentionally excluded from the event,” and accused officials of attempting “to erase the memory of the great failure of October 7.”

The forum said 46 hostages were killed during their captivity and added that its persistent public pressure helped bring home 254 people over two years. It noted that one body, belonging to police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, remains in Gaza.

Smotrich urged Education Minister Yoav Kisch to award the Israel Prize to the Tikva and Gvura forums, saying the families “withstood tests that none of us could withstand” and provided “moral validation” to decision-makers.