There is "no equivalency" between the hostages that are being released by Hamas and the prisoners being held in custody in Israel, Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for the Israeli government, said on Newsmax Tuesday.
"You can't compare what Israel is getting back, women and children who were forcibly removed from their communities after having experienced the worst atrocities one could imagine and being held in captivity in the worst conditions for 50 days," Heinrich told Newsmax's "Newsline." "[They are] innocent people who just were taken out of their beds on a Saturday morning seven weeks ago."
Heinrich confirmed Tuesday the release of 12 hostages overall, including 10 Israelis and two foreign nationals, while pointing out that when it comes to the Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel, "the gender and the age doesn't really matter here."
"These are people who were involved in terrorist activities," she said. "You can't compare 4-year-old Abigail Edan, the American-Israeli who was just released a few days ago after her parents were murdered, with a Palestinian terrorist named Yasmin Shaban, who was released from her Israeli prison, and attempted a suicide bombing … that was her plan, wearing an explosive belt."
Meanwhile, Heinrich said it is "nerve-wracking" for Israelis to wait for the hostages to be released, while it was also a day of mixed emotions given so many more hostages remain behind in Gaza.
"What kind of reality are they coming back to?" she said. "Some of them still have family members, friends, and community members being held in Gaza. Some of them lost loved ones and they don't even know it. Take for instance the 13-year-old and 16-year-old siblings who were released yesterday. They just found out about 24 hours ago that their mother was murdered and that their father is still being held in Gaza. It is heart-wrenching. We want them all to come home and we want them all to be released."
The terrorists being released from Israel are being celebrated with Hamas flags as they return to Gaza, said Heinrich.
"It shows you what Israel is dealing with, a society that celebrates and glorifies martyrs," she said. "I think it's sickening and for that reason, whenever we're asked about the day-after plans for Gaza, we say that not only Hamas must be destroyed, not only Gaza must be demilitarized, but the Palestinian society must be de-radicalized if we want to have any kind of prospects for a better future, for hope for this region."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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