9/14/2024–|Last update: 9/14/202408:27 PM (Makkah Time)
Families of Israeli prisoners held in the Gaza Strip have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of obstructing a deal with Hamas, while the White House confirmed that Washington is in contact with Qatar, Egypt and Israel to reach a text of an agreement that could be approved by all parties.
The families of the prisoners said during a press conference in Tel Aviv 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 prisoners’ families added that Netanyahu’s continued rule means that the war will continue forever.
She 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.
angry demonstrations
Meanwhile, dozens of Israelis demonstrated in front of Netanyahu’s home in the city of Caesarea, south of Haifa.
Channel 12 reported that another demonstration took place in front of the home of the Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, Yuli Edelstein, in the city of Herzliya, where demonstrators intercepted him as he was leaving.
In the city of Herzliya, dozens of Israelis took part in a protest march, denouncing the arrest of activists who called for a prisoner exchange deal.
Israeli police also removed demonstrators who demanded the return of the detainees during a protest in front of the Education Minister’s home in Hod Hasharon.
American communications
In a related context, the White House said that US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
A White House statement added that Biden and Starmer stressed the need for more Israeli efforts to protect civilians and address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
In turn, Kamala Harris, US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate, stressed that the time has come to reach an agreement to cease fire in Gaza and release Israeli detainees.
Harris said at an election rally in the eastern state of Pennsylvania that the US administration is working around the clock to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
For his part, White House National Security Council Communications Officer John Kirby confirmed that Washington is continuing its talks with Qatar, Egypt and Israel in order to reach an agreement text that can be approved by all parties.
“We have been working all week to find a way forward on a ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” Kirby said.
For nearly 10 months, the rounds of indirect negotiations between Hamas and Tel Aviv have been faltering, due to Netanyahu’s insistence on continuing the war and his insistence on controlling the Philadelphi and Netzarim axes in the south and center of the Strip, while Hamas demands a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the return of the displaced without restrictions.
With American support, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7, leaving more than 136,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing, amidst massive destruction and deadly famine.
In contempt of the international community, Israel continues the war, ignoring the UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate halt, and the International Court of Justice’s orders to take measures to prevent genocide and improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
