In a special session at the Knesset on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin for assistance in securing the release of hostages still held by Hamas. Addressing the estimated 129 remaining hostages, Netanyahu particularly emphasized the case of Noa Argamani, who was abducted from a music festival on October 7.
Despite Argamani not being a Chinese national herself, Netanyahu, in a departure from diplomatic protocol, summoned Cai Run, the Chinese ambassador to Israel, and implored him to convey a personal request to Xi Jinping. The Israeli Prime Minister emphasized that Argamani’s mother, who hails from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, is battling advanced cancer.
“I told the ambassador that I was asking him to please tell Xi Jinping, outside of protocol, outside the rules, which I know very well, that this is the daughter of a Chinese mother and that I am asking for his personal intervention,” Netanyahu stated. The ambassador assured Netanyahu that he had communicated the request to Xi Jinping.
Netanyahu also disclosed that he sought the assistance of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the release of several hostages, including Andrey Kozlov, Alex Lobanov, and Alexander Trupanob. Putin, according to Netanyahu, expressed his commitment to “try to act in this regard.” The Israeli Prime Minister, facing criticism from the families of the hostages, revealed this information to underscore that he is “making every effort” to bring the hostages home.
