The former Israeli detainee in Gaza, Raz Ben-Ami, called on the Netanyahu government to complete an exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” in Gaza “urgently,” after it was revealed that 3 Israeli detainees were killed by the occupation army’s fire during its advance in the Strip.
Ben Ami said in statements to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the killing of the three by Israeli army fire in Gaza City confirms that the detainees were right when they warned the War Council that the fighting might harm them.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government called for proposing an agreement for the return of detainees in Gaza, noting that their return in exchange for Palestinian prisoners is considered an “urgent and decisive matter.”
Ben Ami, whose husband is still detained in Gaza, said that she is waiting to hear from the War Council – which is the mini-government leading the aggression in Gaza – the broad outlines of an exchange deal. She wondered what the War Council was waiting for, and whether the detainees’ families would receive one body after another.
Haaretz newspaper quoted the father of the Israeli detainee, Itai Chen, as saying that meeting the American president is easier than meeting the War Council, in reference to the difficulty of communicating with the Council, which is still adhering to the war option.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that military pressure is necessary to return the detainees and win the war. He added in a press conference that he informed the Israeli negotiators that military pressure would help in negotiating the return of the detainees.
Israeli War Council member Benny Gantz considered that the army is fighting a difficult, complex and painful war and must be given time to accomplish its tasks. Gantz added in a joint press conference with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant that despite the difficulty of the war, the government is determined to continue it in order to return all the detainees.
The killing of 3 Israeli detainees in Gaza by army fire sparked angry reactions in Israel. Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said that the incident “shocked the entire army.” He added in an interview with CNN that the soldiers who opened fire acted in violation of the rules of engagement, but he suggested that the reason was due to “fatigue and tension,” as he put it.