The Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation army, Herzi Halevi, said, “The army is working to return the kidnapped by any means, but it will not be able to return them all in military operations.”
Halevi admitted to the families of soldiers held captive by the Palestinian resistance in the Gaza Strip that returning the prisoners held in the Strip would be difficult over time.
Regarding the possibility of concluding an agreement to return the kidnapped soldiers, Israeli Channel 12 reported that Halevi confirmed that the matter is up to the government’s decision, adding, “We are doing everything we can to achieve this.”
The Israeli channel added that Halevi informed the families of captured soldiers that the army is taking risks in order to obtain intelligence information about the prisoners.
Demonstrations and accusations against Netanyahu
The families of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing a deal with Hamas, and protesters blocked the road outside Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea.
The families of the prisoners said during a press conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday that “Netanyahu is the one who is obstructing and failing to reach a prisoner exchange deal, and that his policy is leading to the killing of the kidnapped, and that he must be removed from power to save them.”
The families stressed that Netanyahu’s insistence on controlling the Philadelphi Corridor is what is obstructing the deal, and that his policy is “the reason why the detainees are still in Gaza until now, and that this policy will bring the Israeli people 101 new Ron Arad,” according to their expression.
The families of the prisoners added that Netanyahu’s continued rule means that the war will continue forever, and they considered that expanding the military operation in the north without concluding a prisoner exchange deal is a death sentence for the detainees.
The families of the prisoners called on the US administration to put pressure on Netanyahu to reach a deal with Hamas.
