Captivity survivor's mother: Netanyahu bears responsibility for nurturing Hamas in Gaza

Ditza Or, the mother of former hostage Avinatan Or, has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, holding him responsible for strengthening Hamas in the Gaza Strip, allowing funds to flow to the terrorist organization, and prolonging the war. However, she declined to say whether he should have resigned following the failures of October 7. In an interview with the Bahatsi Hayom ("Midday") program on the Kan Reshet Bet r adio station, Or also addressed calls to establish a commission of inquiry and discussed her son's life one year after his release from captivity. "Clearly, there is comprehensive responsibility for the nurturing of Hamas in Gaza, for the insane amounts of funding that were transferred, for turning a blind eye to everything that was happening, for everything known as the 'conception.' Clearly, the Prime Minister bears responsibility for that," Or said. According to Or, Netanyahu's responsibility is not limited to the events preceding the Hamas attack. "In my view, he also bears responsibility for the fact that the campaign has still not ended when it could have been brought to an end, and not a single front has been closed. He absolutely bears responsibility," she added. However, when asked why senior defense establishment officials had left their positions while the Prime Minister remained in office, she acknowledged that she did not have a definitive answer regarding whether he should resign. "That's a difficult question. I really don't know what to say about it. I tell myself that I don't have to know everything, and I don't have to have an answer to everything," she replied. She later emphasized, "Now, as for saying whether he should have resigned or stepped down, I don't know." Alongside her criticism of the Prime Minister, Or expressed a firm position on the need to investigate the failures of October 7 and hold those responsible accountable. "Clearly, there were enormous failures here... I have to summon a tremendous amount of goodwill to say that these were merely failures," she said. Or stressed that, in her view, the investigation should not be limited to determining individual responsibility but should also address correcting the deficiencies exposed within Israel's state institutions. "Clearly, these failures must be investigated, and clearly there are people who bear responsibility and people who are to blame, and they must be held accountable. Above all, the systems must be fixed," she added. However, she expressed opposition to establishing a commission of inquiry headed by someone she considers identified with one side of the political spectrum. According to Or, the commission's composition must reflect the entire public to ensure a credible examination of the events. "I very much expect there to be an investigation, for the truth to emerge, and for there to be integrity in the country. The commission must represent all sides of the political spectrum," she said. She warned that a commission lacking political balance would, in her opinion, be unable to uncover the truth. "Otherwise, regardless of which side it comes from, it will not be objective, and that will not help us reach the truth." Or specifically addressed the possibility of establishing a commission of inquiry headed by Supreme Court justices, arguing that such a commission would be biased. "A commission headed by the court, headed by Supreme Court justices, is a biased commission," she said. She explained her position by claiming that the court "expresses very one-sided positions that belong to one side of the political spectrum." This was Or's assessment of the court, rather than a factual determination regarding the judges' positions. The interview took place on the first anniversary of Avinatan Or's release from Hamas captivity, where he was held for 738 days. During his captivity, his mother was active in the public campaign for the hostages' return as part of the Tikva Forum. Or reiterated the position that guided her throughout the campaign: the need to exert military pressure on Hamas and weaken the organization to secure the hostages' release. "My understanding of the situation told me that the only way to bring the hostages home was to defeat Hamas," she said. According to Or, she saw no contradiction between efforts to secure the hostages' return and the objective of defeating Hamas militarily. On the contrary, she believed the two goals were interconnected. "If we stand strong against them and weaken them to the point where they have no choice, then they will return as many as possible, and ultimately all of them," she explained. Or added that, in her view, weakening Hamas was also intended to serve Israel's long-term security interests. "Weakening them is a means of bringing the hostages home, and at the same time, it is also a means of ensuring Israel's security," she said. Alongside the discussion of responsibility for the October 7 failures and security policy, Or spoke about her son and the challenges of adjusting to life after his return home. According to Or, Avinatan has managed to cope with the difficult experiences he endured in captivity and channel them into positive action. "He turned darkness into light. He went through such terribly difficult experiences, and he transformed them in an amazing way into strength, joy for life, love for others, and positive action," she said. Or also described her difficulty comprehending the fact that her son was finally home after such a prolonged period of uncertainty. "The realization that he is already here is so overwhelming that, from the very beginning, I felt I couldn't truly take it all in," she said. Even a year after his release, she explained, the family's return to normal life is accompanied by a sense of unreality when reflecting on everything they endured. "And on the other hand, when I look back, I ask myself, 'Did that really happen?' It feels like a dream, like a nightmare we woke up from, and of course, Avinatan is home."