Israel: Tens of thousands demand hostage deal in Israel

Nine months after the massacre by the Islamist Hamas, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is coming under increasing pressure in his country. At nationwide protests on Saturday evening, tens of thousands of people demanded that the renewed indirect negotiations on the release of the hostages and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip finally be successful. “Deal now!” they chanted in Tel Aviv. On October 7 – exactly nine months ago – Hamas and other terrorist groups invaded Israel, murdering 1,200 people and abducting 250 more.

To mark the start of a “day of disruption” planned by protest groups, activists gathered near the Gaza border in the morning to release black and yellow balloons, the Times of Israel reported. The color yellow symbolizes the fate of the hostages. The balloons were attached to signs representing the communities that were attacked on October 7. According to Israeli estimates, around 120 hostages are still being held by the kidnappers, but many are believed to be dead.

New Hope

The protests were fuelled by reports that there is progress in the negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the US after a long standstill. According to Israeli sources, they are set to resume next week. “For the first time in many long months, we have hope again,” said one demonstrator whose son was kidnapped during the terrorist attack on the Gaza Strip nine months ago. “This is an opportunity that we cannot miss!” she shouted, according to the newspaper Haaretz.

Addressing Israel’s head of government, the mother said: “Netanyahu, we have seen how you have repeatedly torpedoed the agreements at the moment of truth and torn our hearts to pieces each time.” She implored the prime minister in strong words: “Don’t you dare break our hearts again!” Netanyahu governs together with ultra-religious and far-right coalition partners who reject concessions to Hamas and whom Netanyahu must take into account.

A phased plan is on the table, which initially provides for a temporary ceasefire and the exchange of female, elderly and sick hostages for a larger number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. During the ceasefire, the sides are to negotiate the end of the war and the release of the remaining hostages. Until now, Hamas has made it a condition that Israel commits to ending all hostilities in advance. According to the media, it has moved away from this core demand.

Hamas wants guarantees

At the same time, however, the Islamists are demanding a written commitment from the mediators that the negotiation phase – and thus the temporary ceasefire – will continue indefinitely if no agreement is reached within the stipulated period. This demand from Hamas is a crucial point before the mediators can sit down at the table to negotiate the details of an agreement, reported the US news portal “Axios” citing two Israeli officials.

At the rally in Tel Aviv, a video of a former hostage was shown on a large screen. 22-year-old Almog Meir Jan, who was freed by the Israeli military a month ago, said in it: “We need a deal so that all mothers can hug their children and husbands, just like I now hug my mother every morning.” The fact that Hamas is now apparently showing more flexibility is giving many people hope. According to the office of Israel’s head of government, however, there are still points of contention between the two sides.

Report: Palestinians hope for Barguti imprisoned in Israel

The question of what will happen after the end of the war with Gaza is also uncertain. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, many Palestinians are pinning their hopes on the politician Marwan Barguti, who is imprisoned in Israel. He belongs to the Palestinian Fatah party, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA) governing the West Bank, and was an advisor to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Fatah and Hamas are the two largest Palestinian organizations – and bitter rivals. However, there have been reconciliation talks between the two organizations for several years.

Barguti was sentenced to five life sentences for murder in Israel in 2004. For his supporters, Barguti is a freedom fighter like Nelson Mandela, according to the Wall Street Journal. His popularity among Palestinians is based on his image as a supporter of violence against Israel, but also as a pragmatist who strives for a lasting peace agreement. Barguti’s importance is shown by the demand of the rival Hamas to release him as part of an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, the newspaper reported, citing Arab mediators.

The US wants an autonomous authority in Gaza

In 2007, Hamas violently seized sole control of the Gaza Strip and drove Fatah out of the area. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Chairman of Fatah, has since then de facto ruled only in the West Bank. The USA, as Israel’s most important ally, wants the Palestinian Authority to be restructured and to regain control of the Gaza Strip in the future. But Netanyahu rejects this.

Barguti is the only Palestinian leader who enjoys broad support in Gaza as well as in the West Bank, in contrast to the decimated Hamas and the PA, according to the Wall Street Journal. This is also shown by a recent Palestinian poll in the West Bank.

In Israel, too, some see Barguti as a possible key to peace, despite his past, the newspaper continued. “If we are really looking for a solution, we should look for him,” the US newspaper quoted a former director of the Israeli secret service Mossad as saying. Israel’s consistent refusal to release Barguti from prison, however, shows how far both sides are from an agreement, the newspaper wrote.

The deaths in Gaza continue

Meanwhile, fighting in Gaza continues for the time being. According to Palestinian sources, 16 people were killed in an airstrike on a refugee shelter in the middle section of the sealed-off area. It was a former school belonging to the UN refugee agency UNRWA, they said. The Israeli military announced that it had attacked several Hamas fighters in the area of ​​the UNRWA school. The terrorists had used the facility as a hideout and base of operations for attacks on the Israeli military. Steps had been taken in advance of the attack to minimize the risk to civilians. The information provided by both sides could not be independently verified.

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