Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to previous offers to pay Gazans who turn over Israeli hostages, increasing the reward to $5 million for each captive this week.
“To those who want to leave this entanglement I say: Whoever brings us a hostage will find a safe way out for himself and his family. We will also give $5 million for every hostage,” Netanyahu said at the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
“Choose, the choice is yours, but the result will be the same. We will bring them all back.”
Netanyahu’s offer drew fury from the mother of Matan Zangauker, one of the hostages still held in Gaza.
“The prime minister is trading the hostages’ lives,” said Einav Zangauker. “It’s unbelievable that the man who funded Hamas is once again offering money to Hamas,” she said, referring to a controversial deal in which Israel funneled money through the country of Qatar into the Gaza Strip.
