Yehuda Beinin, the father of Liat Beinin Atzili, an Israeli-American hostage who was released from Hamas captivity last month, wrote an op-ed for CNN in which he emphasized the urgent need to bring home the remaining hostages who are still being held in Gaza.
Beinin criticized the Israeli government for not focusing enough on the hostages and questioned its ability to secure a hostage deal without continued pressure from US President Joe Biden.
"The situation is dire and deeply personal to me as the father of a released hostage, the father-in-law of a man killed by Hamas terrorists and as an American."
Yehuda Beinin
Liat is a 49-year-old mother of three, high school teacher, and guide at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. She was kidnapped on October 7 when Hamas terrorists attacked Kibbutz Nir Oz and was released on November 29, after 54 days of captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Liat believed that her husband, Aviv Atzili, had also been taken captive but after her release she was given the devastating news that Aviv had been murdered while defending their kibbutz.
In his op-ed, Beinin shared his grief over Aviv’s murder and his concern for the safety of the remaining hostages.
“I have become friends with families who lost loved ones on October 7 and others whose family members are hostages, with gunshot wounds, broken bones, and missing limbs…every day that passes without bringing the hostages home is another day closer to death for these innocent people.”
'Israel doesn't have a sense of urgency toward hostages'
Beinin was highly critical of the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the conflict with Hamas. He stated the government was not treating the hostage situation with the urgency it requires and that it is more focused on destroying Gaza than on getting the remaining hostages out of Gaza.
“Since Oct. 7, Netanyahu has made the order of his goals clear – destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities first, secure the release of the hostages second. I am no politician – which of these goals is more important to Israel’s future, I cannot tell you. But I am the father of a woman who was held hostage in Gaza for 54 days and the father-in-law of a man killed by Hamas. I know which goal is more urgent for families like mine.”
“Netanyahu is not fit to manage this conflict. His agenda seems to simply be to inflict as much destruction in Gaza as possible. That tells you all you need to know about his regard for civilian casualties. To Netanyahu, innocent lives are the price Israel pays to keep their homeland safe.”
Beinin also expressed appreciation for President Biden, thanking him for his compassion, and urged him and international governments to continue pressuring Israel and Hamas for a deal until the last hostage is returned.
“Every minute that a deal is delayed could be a death sentence more than a hundred times over.”