Israel’s president ‘asks ELON MUSK to intervene in hostage launch talks and attempt to power a deal’
Israel‘s president has asked Elon Musk to intervene in hostage release talks, in a bid to ‘force a deal’.
Isaac Herzog called the tech billionaire, allegedly at the request of a hostage family member, to implore him to apply pressure to those involved to secure a deal.
A source close to the hostage families, who spoke with President Herzog and who is familiar with the conversation, told CNN: ‘There was a chat between the President and a few hostage families, where one of the subjects discussed was influence on Trump, and Elon Musk’s name came up as someone of influence on Trump. Therefore, keeping an open channel with him is important.’
This comes after Donald Trump threatened that there would be ‘all hell to pay’ if the hostages were not released before he became president on January 20.
Without mentioning Hamas by name, Trump posted online the same day: ‘Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied history of the United States of America.’
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his ‘strong statement’.
Trump during the campaign spoke of his plans to end different crisises in the world, including the end of Russia‘s war on Ukraine. ‘I’ll have that done in 24 hours,’ he said in May 2023.
Isaac Herzog called the tech billionaire, allegedly at the request of a hostage family member, to implore him to apply pressure to those involved to secure a deal
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (L), co-chair of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), carries his son “X” on his shoulders, as he walks with US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (C) and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (R)
Donald Trump gave Hamas or others responsible for holding hostages in the Middle East until January 20th to release them, saying otherwise there will be ‘hell to pay,’
On Wednesday, Israeli troops recovered the bodies of Yagev Buchshtab, 35, Alexander Dancyg, 76, Avraham Munder, 79, Yoram Metzger, 80, Chaim Peri, 79, and Nadav Popplewell, a 51-year-old British-Israeli dual national, along with those of six Hamas fighters, in the southern Khan Younis area.
It is believed that 96 hostages still remain in Gaza, although 34 of these are presumed dead.
Negotiations have been rolling on for months between Israel and Gaza, with the support of the US, Egypt and Qatar, to release the hostages in return for a cease fire.
However, both sides have failed to reach an agreement.
More than 44,500 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched a military campaign in response to the 7 October attack, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Yesterday, the mother of British-Israeli Emily Damari, 28, voiced her rape fears for her daughter as she revealed her daily terror thinking that she could be sexually assaulted by Hamas terrorists.
Palestinian residents carry out search and rescue work in the rubble of a destroyed building
Palestinians carry drums and bottles on war-torn streets to fill with drinkable water
‘I am terrified that Emily and the other female hostages are exposed to the constant threat of sexual assault,’ Ms Damari said
Emily was shot in the hand during the abduction by Hamas militants
She was kidnapped on October 7 last year and has been a hostage for 426 days her mother Mandy told a press conference in London.
‘Every day is a new death sentence for her in Gaza,’ Mandy Damari said. ‘Her situation is dire, and she desperately needs to be released along with every other remaining hostage.’
Although Ms Damari has not had confirmation of the fact that Emily is alive for eight months, she believes ‘she is still with us today’ and pleaded for help getting her daughter ‘back from hell’.
‘I am terrified that Emily and the other female hostages are exposed to the constant threat of sexual assault,’ Ms Damari said.
‘Hamas has a record of using rape as a weapon against women that must be condemned in every corner of the world.’
Ms Damari said she spends her time in Israel campaigning for a ceasefire deal that secures the hostages’ release and brings an end to the war and ‘everyone’s suffering’.
She added: ‘A hostage deal may be weeks, months or even further away. Meanwhile, their condition deteriorates every single hour. Much more needs to be done, and much more can be done, to keep Emily and the other hostages alive while they remain in captivity.
