Netanyahu enrages families after using incorrect hostages figure as poll shows most Israelis want him to quit

The families of Israeli hostages demanded an explanation from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he got the number of captives still held in Gaza wrong.

Netanyahu spoke to American conservative commentator Ben Shapiro in an interview published on the eve of the second anniversary of Hamas’ cross-border incursion into Israel.

At the beginning of the interview, he listed Israel’s victories over Iran and its proxies, adding that “we still have things to do to complete the victory”.

“What started in Gaza will end in Gaza with the release of 40 of our hostages, 46 actually, 20 are alive, and the end of Hamas rule … in Gaza,” he said.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum corrected Netanyahu that there were 48 hostages still in Gaza, “not 40, and not 46”.

“They were all kidnapped on your watch,” the group said in a post on X. “So, we will update you— There are 48 hostages, men and women, in Gaza.”

The post continued: “It is time to reach an agreement that will end the longest war in our history and bring all 48 hostages, men and women, back for rehabilitation and burial. 48. Not 40, not 46. All of them, now.”

The group said they had demanded “an explanation and clarification” from Netanyahu over the “incorrect number of hostages”.

“Two years ago today, 251 hostages, men and women, were kidnapped in their pajamas from their beds, their bases, and a music festival, taken into hellish captivity in Gaza. Four additional hostages had already been in Gaza for many years. They were all kidnapped on your watch,” they posted on Tuesday.

In August, when there were 50 hostages still in Gaza, Netanyahu also faced criticism after committing to “the release of all 20 of our hostages”.

Some 251 people were taken captive during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 cross-border attack into southern Israel. Around 1,200 people were killed.

Netanyahu’s government faces growing criticism at home and abroad over the failure to end the war and return the hostages, and over Israel’s conduct in military operations.

A survey published by the Israel Democracy Institute ahead of the second anniversary of the attacks, on 30 September, found that 66 per cent of Israelis now say it is time for the war to end, up 13 percentage points since this time last year.

Ninety-three per cent of Arabs surveyed said that they believed it was time for the war to end, compared to 60 per cent of Jews.

“While there was already a consensus among Arabs in last year’s survey that the war should be ended, among Jews there has been a reversal in opinion—last year less than half thought the war should be ended, while today there is a solid majority who think the time has come,” the corresponding report notes.

Seventy-three per cent of the 800 respondents thought that Israel’s standing in the international arena was worse than it was before October 7.

The majority of participants said the main goal of the war today should be bringing the hostages home.

Sixty-four per cent of Israelis said they thought Netanyahu should take responsibility for October 7 and resign, either now (45 per cent) or after the war (19 per cent), the survey recorded.