An opinion poll in Maariv newspaper revealed that 88% of Israelis support reaching a deal to return prisoners from the Gaza Strip, while Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz warned against being drawn into a war of attrition with Hamas, saying that detainees “in the tunnels are in danger.”
While the majority of opinions supported concluding an exchange deal, with 88% of the Israelis polled, 52% supported reaching a comprehensive deal, 36% supported a partial deal, and only 6% opposed the deal.
The poll adds that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition – if elections are held – will obtain 49 seats and the opposition will obtain 61 without the need for Arab parties, pointing out that the Likud Party is losing two seats this week “because the war has not been resolved” in Gaza.
In turn, the families of Israeli prisoners in Gaza today renewed their demands on Netanyahu and decision-makers to accelerate negotiations to return all detainees immediately.
The families of the prisoners added, “We have a historic opportunity to return the detainees, which we should not waste,” noting that “Youssef and Hamza Al-Zayadna could have been returned alive if an early agreement had been reached.”
This came with the Israeli army announcing – in a statement today – that it had identified the body of a prisoner who was being held in Gaza, following the army’s announcement last Wednesday that it had recovered the body of Youssef (Hamza’s father) after it was found in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
Katz’s statements
For his part, the Israeli Defense Minister said, “It is not permissible to be drawn into a war of attrition with Hamas,” pointing out that those detained in the tunnels are “in danger.”
Katz added – according to what Israeli Channel 12 reported about him – that Israel must change the way it operates in the Gaza Strip “in order to eliminate Hamas and end the war,” according to him.
Katz’s statements come more than a week after he threatened to launch strikes “the likes of which Gaza has not witnessed in a long time” if the rocket fire did not stop and the prisoners were not released.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also confirmed at the time that Tel Aviv would not recover without the return of the detainees, at a time when the families of the prisoners demonstrated to demand the return of their relatives.
Demands are increasing in Israel for the government to conclude a prisoner deal amid the Israeli media’s interest in discussing developments in the indirect negotiations with Hamas.
The opposition and the families of the prisoners accuse Netanyahu of obstructing reaching an agreement to maintain his position, as extremist ministers, including Ministers of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, threaten to leave and topple the government if it accepts ending the war in Gaza.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that has resulted in more than 155,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing people, amid massive destruction and worsening famine.
Source : The island + Israeli press + social media sites
