An undated photo by Hila Rotem. Hostages and Missing Families Forum via AP
The uncle of 13-year-old Hila Rotem, who was released by Hamas on Saturday, says he doesn’t believe the Palestinian militant group doesn’t know where her mother, Raaya Rotem, is.
Yair Rotem, Raaya’s brother, said the two should be released at the same time, telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Monday that “there is no reason to separate them.”
Hila told him that she had been “with Raaya the whole time,” he added.
“Hila said to me, ‘Look at my hair, my mother cut it when we were in captivity.’ So they were together,” said the uncle.
The Israel Defense Forces said their separation violated the terms of the agreement.
IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN over the weekend that when the IDF asked about Hila’s mother, Hamas said it did not know where she was – a claim Yair denies.
“I call on all parties involved to put pressure on Hamas to respect the agreement,” Yair said. “We have to respect it, they have to respect it. Stop playing these games.”
Yair also spoke about the uncertainty about what will happen to Raaya.
“I’m sure my sister, Hila’s mother, doesn’t know what will happen next,” he said. “Are they going to release her, are they going to lock her up again, are they going to murder her?”