Situation at a glance: Protesters in Israel are calling for an end to the Gaza war

While thousands of Israelis take to the streets to demand a deal to release the Hamas hostages and an end to the Gaza war, indirect negotiations between Israel and the Islamists remain extremely slow. The loud demonstrations that take place almost every Saturday evening in major Israeli cities are intended to increase the pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finally agree to an agreement with the Hamas hostage-takers.

Many relatives of those abducted still hope that such an agreement will end the war in the Gaza Strip, which has been going on for more than 15 months, and enable the abductees to return home.

When Islamist terrorists attacked the south of Israel on October 7, 2023, 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were kidnapped into the sealed-off coastal area – more than half of them have now been released by the kidnappers, freed by the Israeli military, recovered dead or at least for declared dead. According to Israel’s count, around 100 hostages are still being held in Gaza – although it is unclear how many of them are still alive and have to suffer every day under the horrific conditions in the hands of their tormentors.

Tough negotiations without a breakthrough

Another round of negotiations began on Friday in Doha, with Qatar, Egypt and the USA mediating between Israel and Hamas, which, as a matter of principle, do not negotiate directly with each other. This time Israel was represented by senior officials and officers.

According to a report by the Israeli television channel Channel 12, the talks were slow and there was no breakthrough in sight. There is still a wide divergence on many points, such as the question of which hostages should be exchanged for which Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and when. The broadcaster based the report on anonymous informants who are said to be familiar with the events.

This is all taking far too long for the families of the abductees – they fear for the lives of their relatives and have been campaigning for them at protest rallies for months. This time too there were demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, in which freed hostages were also present. “I will never forget the hand that saved my life,” Almog Meir Jan, whom the Israeli military freed from Hamas captivity last June, said at a rally in Tel Aviv.

“The hand extended to the hostages and their families is the deal that must be signed,” he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel newspaper. “The deal to save her life, to save all of our lives.”

Hamas releases video of female hostage

The protests on Saturday evening were influenced by another hostage video that Hamas had published a few hours earlier. It shows a young female soldier who was abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7th last year. Israel’s government sees such videos as part of the Islamists’ psychological warfare and as a means of exerting pressure in the negotiations.

The family of 19-year-old Liri Albag, who was working as a scout on the Gaza border at the time of her abduction, only allowed two stills from the three-and-a-half-minute video to be released. In an appeal to Netanyahu, the relatives wrote: “Liri is alive and must return alive. It only depends on you.” The head of government spoke to the parents the same day and assured that his government was working tirelessly to bring their daughter and the other hostages home.

Netanyahu is in no hurry

Relatives and friends of the hostages as well as demonstrators accuse Netanyahu of torpedoing a ceasefire with Hamas and thus the release of the hostages with new demands. They assume that he wants to ensure his political survival by prolonging the war. Netanyahu denies this. At the same time, he is under pressure from right-wing extremist and ultra-religious coalition partners who strictly reject concessions to Hamas. Netanyahu also has to defend himself in court against corruption allegations.

Houthi rocket fails to reach Israel

In addition to the conflicts with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, Israel is also defending itself against aggression from other allies of its arch-enemy Iran – such as the Houthi militia in Yemen. It fired another rocket at Israel on Sunday night, triggering warning sirens in the center of the country. However, the bullet was intercepted before it flew over the border, as the Israeli military announced. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Islamists in Yemen have repeatedly fired rockets at Israel and at merchant ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Hamas.

Allied partners continue to supply weapons

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the extensive arms deliveries to Israel. “Unfortunately, the country is confronted with adversaries and enemies from all directions,” Blinken told the New York Times when asked why the US continued to supply weapons to Israel even though Hamas, militarily weakened after 15 months of war, now poses a smaller threat. If Israel can adequately defend itself, it will ultimately prevent even greater conflicts with more death and destruction, Blinken argued.

The interview with the minister was conducted on the occasion of the upcoming coming to power of the new US President Donald Trump on January 20th. Regardless, the outgoing government of current incumbent Joe Biden is planning arms sales to Israel worth eight billion dollars (around 7.8 billion euros). The US State Department informed Congress about this, as a person familiar with the matter confirmed to the German Press Agency. This will include ammunition for fighter jets and helicopters as well as artillery shells. Neither the State Department nor the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee confirmed the reports upon request.