By Turgut Alp Poyraz and Dildar Baykan Atalay
HAIFA, Israel (AA) - An Israeli woman whose mother is being held captive by the Palestinian group Hamas said Thursday she is against the collective punishment of people in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
“I don't think the Gazan people should be punished as I don’t think my mother should be punished for the government’s policy,” Neta Heiman told Anadolu, speaking at her house in the Israeli port city of Haifa.
Heiman’s 84-year-old mother Ditza is among around 220 people being held hostage by Hamas. So far, four of the hostages have been released.
Heiman believes that medical aid to Gaza should be allowed as its 2.3 million residents have been running out of food, water, medicine and fuel, and aid convoys allowed in have carried only a fraction of what is needed.
“The people of Gaza are not to blame,” she said. “They suffered from Hamas as well, maybe even more than us.”
“I don't think we need to stop the humanitarian aid,” she added.
Israel launched a relentless bombardment campaign on Gaza following a surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, putting the enclave's residents under total siege and a blockade of food, fuel and medical supplies.
Nearly 8,500 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 7,028 Palestinians and 1,400 Israelis.
- 'Pressure on Gazan civilians will not be effective'
On possible fuel aid to the enclave, Heiman said: “If the international community can ensure that it will go to hospitals, then we need to give the fuel. But if not, then no.”
According to Heiman, pressure on Gazan civilians will not be effective as “Hamas doesn't care about people in Gaza.”
“If I knew that (Hamas) cared about their situation and their lack of food, medicine and electricity, I would maybe say don’t give them food and medicine because we could pressure them to release our people.”
“But I don’t think Hamas cares. It won’t work as a (form of) pressure,” she added.
Heiman believes that Hamas is the “first to be blamed for what happened on the 7th of October,” when gunmen from the group launched attacks on Israel’s southern communities and have since killed at least 1,400 people.
“They act like monsters. They're not human,” she said.
“It doesn't matter what they have gone through all their lives. No one needs to do things like this,” she said, explaining that elderly people were taken from their homes, murdered, or their houses were burned.
“Half of my kibbutz (communal village) was burned. People were burned alive. It's horrible. Hamas are horrible people,” she said.
- Lowest priority of international community
Heiman also complained about the lack of international attention for the Israeli citizens taken hostage.
The first hostages who were released were American citizens, she said.
“I don't think they are trying the best for all.”
“The priorities are the citizens of the United States or Europe, and my mother is just an Israeli. She was born in Israel. She's just an Israeli citizen,” she said.
“I think she's the lowest priority of the international community.”
She called on the international community to “help us bring back the hostages as soon as possible because every day matters.”