Capitals: Agencies
Israelis' anger and protests against the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have escalated after the occupation army found the bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza.
Republican candidate for the US elections, Donald Trump, said that the killing of the six hostages, including Hirsch, occurred due to a complete lack of American power and leadership, stressing that this would not have happened if he were president and would stop the day he returns to the White House.
The American newspaper "Washington Post" highlighted the reactions of the Israelis, noting that hundreds of thousands of protesters participated in demonstrations across the country on Sunday night, while the largest labor union in Israel called for a general strike today, Monday, threatening to close the country until Netanyahu agrees to a deal with Hamas to return the remaining hostages.
After the bodies of the hostages were found in Gaza, the Israeli occupation army stated that they were killed by Hamas "shortly" before they were pulled out of a tunnel dozens of feet deep in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza, but Hamas blamed the deaths on Israeli bombing. According to what was reported by the Youm7 website in Cairo, quoting the Middle East News Agency,
Hamas reported that "if (US President Joe) Biden is concerned about their lives, he must stop supporting this enemy with money and weapons and pressure the occupation to end its aggression immediately."
According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, the bodies were transferred to the National Center for Forensic Medicine, where the examination determined that the six were killed by "multiple gunshots at close range" over a period of 48 to 72 hours.
According to the Washington Post, Hamas is still holding 97 hostages, and over the course of about 11 months of uncertainty, many of the hostages' families have accused Netanyahu of prioritizing maintaining his political power over striking a deal with Hamas that would return their loved ones, and on Sunday they called on him to address the nation.
The newspaper noted that instead of a speech to the nation, the protesters received a recorded statement from Netanyahu's office saying: "The fact that Hamas continues to commit atrocities like those it committed on October 7 obliges us to do everything in our power so that it cannot commit these atrocities again... Whoever kills hostages does not want a deal," adding that Hamas refused to "hold real negotiations." The newspaper confirmed that the negotiators said that Netanyahu is one of the main obstacles to reaching an agreement with Hamas, as he insisted on maintaining the Israeli presence along the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic buffer zone between Gaza and Egypt. The Israeli cabinet even voted to keep troops in the corridor, despite warnings from senior members of the security establishment that this move could lead to the agreement being torpedoed. According to the newspaper, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who has emerged as one of the harshest critics of Netanyahu's war strategy, demanded that "the Israeli cabinet must meet immediately and reverse the decision." Protesters gathered in the streets of occupied Jerusalem, holding pictures of the hostages, while Netanyahu and his ministers met on Sunday evening, according to the Washington Post.
For its part, the American magazine (Foreign Policy) highlighted the ongoing crisis of the Israeli hostages who are still being held in Gaza, as the anniversary of the events of October 7, 2023 approaches, amid the failure of US President Joe Biden to push Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal and a hostage and prisoner exchange deal, despite his call for months to complete that deal.
In an analytical article by Mickey Bergman, CEO of Global Reach, an American non-profit organization that helps return Americans kidnapped or detained abroad, and author of the book "True Stories of High-Stakes Negotiations to Free Americans Held Abroad," Bergman stressed that "it is time to admit that the methods used by Israel and Washington so far to release the remaining 101 hostages held in the Gaza Strip, including four American citizens, have all failed." “Biden has failed to push Israel and Hamas to accept a ceasefire and a prisoner and hostage exchange despite months of urging, while Israeli rescue attempts have been unsuccessful,” he added. Over the past months, the hostages’ families and supporters have repeatedly flooded the streets of Tel Aviv, demanding that Netanyahu agree to a ceasefire that would secure the release of the hostages, even if it means abandoning his promise of “complete victory” over Hamas. On Sunday evening, protesters poured in from all directions, many carrying Israeli flags, with one group chanting on drums: “Alive, alive, we want them alive.” Protesters spoke separately during the demonstration, addressing Netanyahu directly. Ilana Gritzevsky, who was released last November after 55 days in captivity, accused him of “practicing psychological terrorism on us, just as Hamas did to us.” Lishai Lavi-Miran, the wife of hostage Omri Miran, called on Netanyahu to stop. About the lies, saying: "Enough of the lies, enough of the misleading... enough of trying to divide us." Dozens of restaurants, theaters, companies and municipalities announced that they were closing their doors in solidarity with the protests, and the National Workers' Union announced an open-ended general strike starting Monday.