- Netanyahu Expresses Regrets and Promises Retaliation, Yet Pressure Continues to Build
After the recovery of six deceased Hamas captives, pressure is intensifying on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both domestically and internationally, to secure a truce agreement in Gaza and release all remaining captives. Netanyahu expressed remorse for the failed rescue attempt of the captives on Monday evening and pledged to keep up the negotiations for the truce agreement. Besides taking part in nationwide demonstrations and a temporary countrywide strike in Israel, US President Joe Biden also criticized Netanyahu's approach.
"I apologize for not being able to bring them back alive," Netanyahu said at a televised press conference on Monday concerning the six deceased captives. "We were close, but we came up short."
Netanyahu vows revenge on Hamas
Hamas will "pay a significant price in the near future" for executing the captives with shots to the back of the head, Netanyahu stated. Instead of concessions, "maximum pressure on Hamas" is required, he added, while also assuring that no one is more dedicated to freeing the captives than him: "No one can instruct me about this."
In relation to the long-awaited truce agreement, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel must maintain control over the area along the Gaza Strip-Egypt border to ensure that the remaining captives are not smuggled out of the Gaza Strip.
Israel's withdrawal from the so-called Philadelphi Corridor is one of the major stumbling blocks in the negotiations aimed not only at securing a truce in the Palestinian territory but also at releasing all remaining captives snatched from Israel and held in the Gaza Strip.
Israel recovers six deceased captives
The six captives, now mourned, were discovered on Saturday in a tunnel in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, the four men and two women were "murdered by Hamas terrorists with numerous shots fired from close range" around 48 to 72 hours before their autopsy on Sunday.
This was followed by large demonstrations on Sunday evening calling for a deal to release the remaining captives. The Histadrut labor federation called for a general strike starting Monday morning, with employees in administration, hospitals, and public transportation across the country halting their work. Shops, restaurants, markets, and schools were to remain closed. The remaining captives should not be "abandoned" any longer, Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar David had explained beforehand.
The coastal cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa followed the strike call. However, the Jerusalem municipality did not join the strike. All departures were suspended for two hours at the international airport Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv in the morning. The flight operations then resumed as normal, a spokesperson said.
Court ends strike
The partially privately operated public transportation functioned at least partially. The work stoppage was implemented inconsistently in government agencies.
A few hours after the start of the strike, a labor court in Tel Aviv ordered the end of the strike, stating that it was a "political strike." Right-wing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had obtained the court order on the grounds that the general strike had nothing to do with a wage dispute and was therefore illegal.
Protesters continued to block key roads in Tel Aviv even after the strike ended. Thousands of protesters gathered in the Israeli metropolis on Monday evening, as they had the night before.
Funeral turns into protest rally
The funeral of 23-year-old US-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the six deceased captives, also converted into a protest rally. Before Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologized on behalf of the government, saying, "I apologize on behalf of the State of Israel for failing to protect you from the terrible disaster of October 7, for failing to bring you home safely," to the thousands of mourners in Jerusalem.
Eleven months after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Israel reports that 97 captives are still being held by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups, with 33 presumed dead.
The Foreign Office estimates that there are still a low double-digit number of people with German ties among the captives. The Foreign Office condemned the execution of the six captives discovered on Monday evening on X as "nearly unbearable." All remaining captives must be released, and a humanitarian truce in Gaza must be achieved. "The executions in Gaza must stop," it continued.
Joe Biden criticizes Netanjahu
When asked on Monday in Washington if Netanyahu was doing enough for such an agreement, US President Biden replied, "No." The US, along with the other two mediating states, Egypt and Qatar, have been pushing for an agreement between Israel and the Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas for months.
Meanwhile, the British government announced that it would suspend 30 of the 350 export licenses for arms shipments to Israel, citing a "clear risk" that the weapons could be used in a "serious violation of international humanitarian law."
The Commission, likely referring to an international body involved in the negotiations, expressed their concern over the execution of the six deceased captives and urged for a swift resolution to secure a truce agreement and release all remaining captives. In response to growing international pressure, Netanyahu assured The Commission that he remains committed to achieving a truce and ensuring the safe return of all captives.
