Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the families of the returning hostages yesterday, Tuesday, in a meeting described by some attendees as noisy and full of anger.

The meeting comes as fighting resumes in the Gaza Strip after a week-long ceasefire, during which more than 100 hostages were returned from the Strip. The fate of the remaining 138 hostages is still unknown.

Netanyahu said at a press conference, "I heard stories that broke my heart, I heard about thirst and hunger, and about physical and mental abuse." He added, "I heard, and you also heard, about sexual assaults and brutal rapes that are unprecedented."

Many relatives who attended the meeting, and who have harsh criticisms of the government, left.

Danny Miran, whose son Omri was taken hostage by Hamas gunmen on October 7 along with about 240 other Israelis and foreigners, said he felt his intelligence was insulted during the meeting and withdrew halfway through.

He told Israeli Channel 13, "I will not go into the details of what was discussed in the meeting, but the whole performance was ugly, humiliating, and chaotic," adding that the government wove a "farce" out of this issue.

He continued, "They say we did this and did that. (Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya) Sinwar is the one who returned our people, not them. It angers me when they say they initiated things. They did not initiate any step."

The purpose of the meeting was to serve as a forum for the released hostages to tell ministers about their experience while in captivity. A group representing hostage families issued a series of quotes that did not specify who said them, stating they were taken from statements made by some former hostages at the meeting.

The quotes spoke about the mistreatment the prisoners suffered at the hands of Hamas, but the meeting was dominated by the emotions of families worried about the fate of their relatives who are still held.

Jennifer Master, whose partner Andrei is held hostage, said, "The meeting was very disturbed, and many people were shouting."

Israel says that a number of women and children are still in Hamas hands, while families with adult male relatives call for not forgetting them.

Master told Israeli Channel 12, "We are all trying to ensure our loved ones return home. There are those who want the remaining women or children, and those who say we want the men."