Families of soldiers who were abducted or killed on October 7, 2023, slammed the IDF Southern Command chief in a recent meeting, telling him to give up his pension for his failures during the Hamas onslaught and for failing since then to lobby for the captive troops’ release, Hebrew media reported.

In a recording played on Channel 12 Monday, the families of Cpl. Itay Chen, Staff Sgt. Yishai Fitoussi, Staff Sgt. Matan Angrest and Staff Sgt. Shimon Alroy Ben Shitrit can be heard berating Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman for failing to meet them up to that point. The recording was said to have been published with the families’ consent.

According to the network, the meeting was also attended by IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa and colonels responsible for investigating what happened at the Nahal Oz military base, just north of Gaza. It was reportedly the families’ first meeting with the officers.

Ben Shitrit, of the Combat Intelligence Collection Corps, and Fitoussi, of the Golani infantry brigade, were killed in the battle at Nahal Oz and buried in Israel, while Chen and Angrest, of the 7th Armored Brigade, were kidnapped from their tank to Gaza, along with their commander, Capt. Daniel Perez. The IDF announced five months later that Perez and Chen, a dual American-Israeli citizen, had been killed in the attack.

Some 215 terrorists attacked the base, which was left largely unprotected during the Hamas onslaught, according to a probe published by the IDF last week. In all, 53 soldiers were killed at the base: 31 combat troops and 22 noncombat, including 16 female surveillance soldiers. Another 10 were abducted — seven female surveillance soldiers and the three tank soldiers.

Angrest is slated for release in the uncertain second phase of the Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, which would see Hamas free 24 captives still thought to be alive, all of them young men. Chen’s body is slated to be returned in the deal’s potential third phase, which would see Hamas hand over the 35 captives confirmed dead by the IDF, among them the remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed in the 2014 war in Gaza.

Finkelman, who entered his position three months before the Hamas onslaught, announced in January that he would resign for his failure to protect the Western Negev. He did not give a precise date, saying he would stay on as long as needed.

The announcement came shortly after Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the IDF chief of staff, announced he would resign on March 6, this Thursday.

In the meeting with Finkelman, said to have taken place in the past week, Angrest’s family accused the army of failing to ensure the early release of Matan and the other captive soldiers.

“How is he last on this damn list?” asked Angrest’s brother Ofir. “You as an army need to insist he be first, not last. This makes no sense… How long can I be shattered like this with my parents?”

Angrest’s mother Anat also assailed Finkelman, expressing disbelief that he had not been to the Knesset to lobby for the soldiers’ release.

“I’ve yet to hear a single military official fighting for our hostages not to be left behind. You’re my son’s top commander and the army is not fighting for him,” she said. “What have you done today and what do you plan to do after this meeting so that Matan, Itay and Daniel come home together?”

“It’s a shame you haven’t met me before now,” said the mother.

Finkelman answered: “It is painful to meet you. I embrace each and every one of you.”

On Monday, Angrest’s family published, for the first time, a picture of Matan in captivity, from a video received months ago. Matan, who was unconscious and seriously injured when kidnapped, appeared gaunt.

Speaking to Angrest’s family, Finkelman said it was the military’s “first mission” to bring home the hostages.

“It’s the most important because it’s the most urgent,” he said.

Matan’s father Hagai was incredulous: “How? How will you bring him back?”

Fitoussi’s father Itzik said abandoning soldiers was nothing new for Finkelman, who had served as head of the Gaza Brigade’s northern battalion during the 2014 war.

“Ten years ago [Finkelman] was Protective Edge commander,” said Itzik Fitoussi. “Till now he has left [Goldin] there. Why would he bring back our boys now?”

Ben Shitrit’s father asked Finkelman, to audible applause: “Isn’t it time you demote yourself to the rank of private, give up your pension and go home?”

The general answered that “when this is over, we’ll think about what to do going forward.” There had been a “faulty security conception regarding Gaza,” he said.

Chen’s father Ruby expressed disappointment with the meeting.

“I expected there to be an investigation here, that there would be Intelligence Directorate folk here,” he said in the Channel 12 recording.

He also assailed the absence of Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar. “Can you explain to me why the Air Force chief wasn’t part of this discussion?” he said.

Bar has reportedly said the Air Force was taken by surprise and “not effective enough” during the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.

The IDF probe published last week found the Air Force had maintained its aircraft on standby according to protocol — even slightly more than usual — but that the standby aircraft numbers were ill-equipped to handle a wide-scale surprise attack.

Due to its fear of hitting civilians, there were numerous cases in which the Air Force refrained from striking terrorists, thousands of whom stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.

“It’s been over 510 days,” Ruby Chen said to Finkelman. “I very much hope that the first thing you do when you get up in the morning is how you’ll bring back my son and the other hostages.”

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.