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Kibbutz Nahal Oz and the family of Omri Miran, an Israeli hostage abducted from his home during the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, expressed outrage Sunday over remarks made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he appeared to refer to Miran—who also holds Hungarian citizenship—in a matter-of-fact manner during a state visit to Hungary.
Netanyahu said the visit was important due to Hungary's support for Israel in the European Union and the United Nations against the “corrupt ICC,” and in providing weapons “needed for victory.” He added, “And of course, we discussed the ‘Hungarian hostage,’” and said efforts were being made to secure the release of all hostages.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara departing from Hungary
(Photo: GPO)
“The Hungarian hostage has a name,” Kibbutz Nahal Oz wrote in a post. “His name is Omri Miran. He has a wife, Lishay Lavi-Miran, and two young daughters—Roni, age 3½, and Alma, who celebrated her second birthday last week. This is just information you may need before making a matter-of-fact statement, as if bringing Omri home is not something that should be your top priority.”
Netanyahu has faced repeated criticism from the families of hostages still held in Gaza and from some former captives for allegedly failing to make their release a central priority of his government.
Miran’s wife also responded to the prime minister’s remarks in a post: “Mr. Prime Minister, there are currently two Hungarian hostages being held in Gaza. Omri will mark his 48th birthday in captivity on Friday. His daughters have been waiting for him for 548 days. I hope you haven’t forgotten his name, or the fact that he and 58 other hostages are still waiting for you to bring them home.”
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Following her message, Lishay Miran received a call from the prime minister. The Prime Minister’s Office said Omri’s name had come up several times during the visit, including in a joint statement with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Netanyahu also asked Hungarian officials to help secure the return of Ilan Shlomo Weiss’s remains; Weiss also held Hungarian citizenship.
“The prime minister said he would work tirelessly to return all of the hostages—both the living and the deceased—and that he had raised the issue on the international stage during his visit,” the PMO said.
Miran’s father, Dan, said he was deeply hurt and angered that the prime minister failed to mention his son's name. In an interview with Ynet, he said the family had been invited to join Netanyahu’s trip to Hungary, but declined after their request to meet with Orbán was rejected. “We didn’t want to be used as props,” he said.
Omri’s brother, Nadav Miran, supports intensifying military pressure on Hamas and opposes any deal that would leave hostages behind.