The mother of an Israeli prisoner in Gaza: We will not allow this opportunity to bring our sons back to pass.

The Israeli Einav Tsangauker, mother of the prisoner Matan Tsangauker, expressed her hope that the recent American initiative represents a real opportunity to end the suffering of the families of prisoners, emphasizing that she will not allow this chance to be missed to bring back their sons and to stop the war that has been ongoing since October 2023.

Tsangauker, who spoke from Jerusalem, stressed that the time has come to return the living hostages to their homes and enable them to rebuild their lives, and to bury the dead with dignity after two years of war. She called on both parties to acknowledge that the time has come to end this tragedy.

She clarified that the sit-in of the families of prisoners in Tel Aviv will continue until all hostages are released, noting that their presence in the protest tent reflects their loss of trust in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intentions regarding completing the deal to its conclusion.

She added that the families who are spending the holiday of "Sukkot" in temporary tents have decided to continue the sit-in and not leave until their sons return, asserting that this time, they will not allow the opportunity to reach an agreement that returns the prisoners and puts an end to the ongoing war to be wasted.

The mother of the prisoner linked the reaching of the deal to the end of military operations, stating that civilians on both sides of the border in Gaza and Israel deserve to live without bombing or fear.

She emphasized that the families are not only demanding the return of their sons but also a comprehensive cessation of the war, as "the war must end because mothers and fathers here and in Gaza are living the same pain."

Regarding her fears of hindering the completion of the deal, Tsangauker expressed her concern about the repetition of what she described as "deliberate missed opportunities" by the Israeli government in previous deals, accusing Netanyahu of "preventing the implementation of agreements that could have returned the hostages."

She confirmed that Hamas has been holding her son Matan since the first day of the war, but according to her, "they are keeping him alive," adding that she still hopes that hope is not lost.

Despite two years of losing contact with her son, Tsangauker says she is convinced that he is still alive, adding: "I know that Hamas is keeping my son alive, and I know that Matan is alive, so I will not stop demanding his return."

She affirmed that the families of the prisoners are holding onto hope despite the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, adding that every moment that passes without a new agreement means more pain for mothers on both sides.

Trump proposed his plan regarding Gaza, which stipulates a ceasefire and the release of Israeli prisoners within 72 hours of Israel's approval, in exchange for disarming the movement.

Hamas stated in its announcement that it agreed to release all living and deceased Israeli prisoners, and it renewed its confirmation of its readiness to hand over the administration of the sector to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats), which would oversee Gaza's affairs within a national consensus and Arab and Islamic support.